The Oneida County Medical Examiner’s office is currently at low staffing after the people in the top two positions resigned in the last month.
The Oneida County Medical Examiner’s Office provides services related to the pronouncement of death and death investigations in Oneida, Vilas, and Forest Counties.
The Chief Medical Examiner Crystal Schaub resigned on February 3rd. At that time, she was on administrative leave.
The Oneida County Human Resources Director told WXPR she was on leave because of “issues related to her employment that the County was made aware of.”
Nearly three weeks later on February 21, the Chief Deputy Medical Examiner resigned.
Over the weekend, the Lincoln County Coroner assisted on a couple of deaths in Vilas County.
Coroner Valerie Caylor provided this statement to WXPR:
“On Saturday, February 22, my office, as Lincoln County Coroner, was notified of a death in Vilas County, as Oneida County is experiencing issues with staffing at their Medical Examiner's Office, I agreed to assist.
I personally responded and assisted with a scene death in Lac du Flambeau, and a fatal snowmobile crash in St. Germain. On Sunday and Monday I did follow up with those deaths along with another death involving a Vilas County resident.
It is not unusual to assist our neighbors in this profession, Oneida has assisted me in the past, as I have assisted them, the same can be said for Marathon County.
My office will continue to provide assistance as needed to Oneida and other counties that request it, the only hindrance is Lincoln County considers the coroner a part time position. Nonetheless, as I have done for the last 16 years in the Northwoods, I will serve as needed.”
Oneida County is working to fill the positions in the Medical Examiner's Office.
In the meantime, the county says Deputy Medical Examiner Ashley Roach has accepted a limited term position of Chief Deputy Medical Examiner. Roach has been with the Medical Examiner’s Office since September 2021.
Oneida County Clerk and Administrative Coordinator Tracy Hartman told WXPR another county employee is also being trained to fill the Medical Examiner duties temporarily.
Hartman expects the Medical Examiner job to be posted Wednesday afternoon.
