Should Dr. Harlan's Reports Be Reviewed?

Last year mishandling allegations were raised against Dr. Charles Harlan.

For some time now the state has sought to revoke his license. If found guilty of the mishandling charges that's what will happen. Once our state medical examiner, Harlan still works for the office and performs about 500 autopsies a year.

But last year's allegations of mishandling were only the beginning for Dr. Harlan. Just this year has brought shocking new information.

Sheri Riggsby is renting a home in Nashville once owned by former Metro and State Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Harlan. While cleaning, Riggsby ran across autopsy reports, crime scene photographs and even a jar containing human body parts.

All the material was turned over to current state medical examiner Dr. Bruce Levey.

Keep in mind that Harlan still works as a medical examiner. Even though the state is trying to revoke his license based on past charges of unprofessional conduct.

Irresponsibility at the examiner level is no stranger to Tennessee. Dr. Michael Jackson performed autopsies throughout the area in the 70's. He performed the autopsy on Vickie Bertram in 1976, from an alleged fall from the top of Rock Crusher.

When an autopsy suggests almost impossible events, or injuries not consistent to the case or death scene, additional steps should be taken to work out these inconsistencies.

Bertram was exhumed in 2001 and taken to the University of Tennessee forensics lab for a new autopsy. Errors were indeed found in the original autopsy, but it didn't seem to surprise the examiners. Seems Dr. Jackson was well known for his work. Jackson has since passed away.

I have recently seen local autopsies that have Dr. Harlan's name on them. A couple of these cases were already being questioned by the family circumstantially. Sometimes it is simply hard for a family to accept the reality of loss. Sometimes a family simply has a valid question about something they do not understand and it checks out.

But sometimes it is more than that. Sometimes they see an autopsy and have questions about what they see, or do not see, contained within the report.

Now with Harlan in the headlines, it makes it even more difficult for families to accept any outcome of an autopsy he has performed. If the state itself feels that he mishandled, it does make one wonder if their loved one's autopsy should be reviewed.

Does a family have a valid complaint when asking for a review of an autopsy? If Harlan is found guilty and loses his license, will his autopsies be automatically reviewed? At 500 autopsies per year, that will be a mass undertaking.

Lots of questions, few answers.