'Horrendous': New Orleans coroner fires employee for dragging homicide victim's body

Orleans Parish Coroner Dr. Dwight McKenna publicly condemned the actions of a fired employee who was caught dragging the body of a 65-year-old man down the stairs of a residence in Bywater. McKenna described the incident as "reprehensible," "unacceptable," and "wrong," expressing his anger over the situation. The incident came to light after footage was shared on social media by Project NOLA, a nonprofit organization focused on crime surveillance.

McKenna recounted his immediate disbelief upon seeing the footage, prompting him to call the police for confirmation of what he had witnessed. Reports indicate that the coroner's office employee, whose name was not disclosed, dragged the body bag across a porch and down the stairs before improperly transferring it onto a stretcher for transport. Despite operating with a short-staffed team, McKenna emphasized that this did not justify the employee's inappropriate conduct.

He further noted that standard procedure requires at least two personnel to be present at each scene, and in this instance, both investigators and police officers had offered assistance, which the employee refused. McKenna stated that the employee disregarded their warnings and insisted on carrying out the task alone.

This incident is not the first controversy for the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office, which was recently found liable for "reckless and outrageous misconduct" in a separate case involving the mishandling of human remains. A judge issued a ruling after the office failed to identify a man who died of a drug overdose, leading to the cremation of his body against his family's religious wishes. Although McKenna is appealing this decision, he maintains that various factors complicated the identification process.

As for the recent dragging incident, it remains uncertain whether the NOPD will pursue charges against the terminated employee, but they highlighted potential criminal penalties under the Louisiana Human Remains Protection and Control Act for those who mishandle remains. Meanwhile, McKenna indicated that the autopsy would determine if the mishandling could impact the investigations surrounding the case.