New review finds ‘systemic weaknesses’ at N.L. chief medical examiner’s office
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — A review of Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief medical examiner’s office has found that the loss of a key piece of evidence in a murder investigation — a baby’s brain — was a “complex error” triggered by “systemic weaknesses” that left the organization vulnerable.
Dr. Matthew Bowes, the chief medical examiner for Nova Scotia, carried out the review and found “important deficiencies” at the Newfoundland office tasked with investigating the suspicious death of a four-month-old baby in November 2013.
In the review released Friday, Bowes said the infrastructure, equipment, information management and staffing levels at the chief medical examiner’s office are inadequate.
“The physical infrastructure of the office is inadequate for the current and future needs of the office,” he said, adding that there is an “immediate need for a digital information management system.”