Whatcom County will hire a temporary medical examiner next week pending approval from the county medical society, sheriff and county council.
The interim ME will replace Allison Hunt following an independent investigation into why two bodies were improperly stored at a local funeral home on behalf of the ME’s Office. Her company, Hunt Forensics, had contracted with the county through the end of 2024, but the contract will be only be in place until the interim ME is appointed.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu announced Hunt’s interim replacement, Aldo Fusaro, on Wednesday, Sept. 4. Fusaro currently serves as the Deputy Medical Examiner for the Montana State Medical Examiner’s Office.
It’s the latest move amid months of turmoil, following the release of the county’s independent investigation by the Bundy Law Group, which led to Hunt’s formal removal. Hunt, who has disputed the allegations, through her attorney told Cascadia Daily News this week another employee is hiring their own investigator to review the county’s investigative findings from Bundy.
The county continued to work with Hunt Forensics to ensure capacity needs were being met in the last month.
If approved by the medical society and sheriff, and confirmed by county council on Sept. 10, Fusaro will assume the role effective immediately, according to the memo.
According to the Whatcom County Charter, when appointing the county medical examiner, applicants must be approved by the Whatcom County Medical Society, aka the Northwest Medical Society, and the county sheriff. The candidate is then appointed by the county executive and confirmed by the county council.
Fusaro will split his time between Whatcom County and his duties in Montana. When he’s out of town, autopsies will be performed by local pathologists, according to the memo.
Fusaro’s potential appointment is the latest change into what’s turned into a monthslong saga between the county and Hunt, who started her job in January 2022. The county’s request for an independent investigation, released by Bundy Law Group on Aug. 5, found the ME’s office knew about the conditions of the bodies after the improper weekend storage and had failed to notify local funeral homes receiving the remains.
In the report, Christopher Bundy could not conclude if Hunt knew about, or knew why, the two bodies were improperly stored over the weekend because of insufficient evidence. He wrote that since she worked closely with Deborah Hollis, the office’s operations manager, “it seems like this is something she may have known about.”
The ME’s office also failed to keep records of where one of the bodies was after its autopsy, an allegedly repeated occurrence that left many funeral homes frustrated on many occasions, according to the report.
Since the report was published and Hunt’s contract was expected to be terminated, she, her lawyer and the county have been working toward a transition agreement that outlines Hunt’s last day, what management of the office looks like and other legal matters.
“We’re working on concluding a transition agreement,” said Tyler Firkins, Hunt’s new attorney, the third in a month.
Additionally, Firkins confirmed Hollis, the operations manager, has hired an independent investigator to review the Bundy report.
County: Not aware of delays in ME duties
Currently, Hunt continues to perform autopsies for Whatcom County as the county searches nationally for her replacement, said Jed Holmes, public affairs and strategy manager for the County Executive’s Office. The county has received five applications for the ME position since the job was listed on Aug. 6. The county is also in the process of recruiting an autopsy technician and death investigators.
Holmes previously said that the Executive’s Office hasn’t been made aware of any delays in the ME Office’s work during the transition period.
Hunt started at the ME’s Office in 2022 after her confirmation in late 2021 when the former medical examiner, Gary Goldfogel, announced his retirement. During her tenure, she actively lobbied for a renovation of the office and for the office to move into the county’s purview.
Part of the reason why the bodies were improperly stored was because the remains were at the temporary morgue space, Moles Farewell Tributes & Cremation Center, while the ME’s Office goes through renovations at its State Street location.
She previously drew the ire of Goldfogel when in 2023, she requested a budget increase saying that the office had previously been “terribly understaffed and terribly underfunded.”
At the time, Goldfogel denied that he kept incomplete records.
“There are a number of allegations that are either misunderstandings or intentional misrepresentations, and that’s quite concerning to me,” Goldfogel said.
The transition of the ME’s Office has been on pause since May following the discovery of the remains and the questions surrounding the operations of the office.
On Wednesday, the county announced Louise Trapp, who has worked in the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Health and Community Services, is on temporary assignment to assist with the operation of ME services as well as the transition and setting up of the office.
The story has been updated with additional background information on the county’s contract with Hunt Forensics.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
