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Prowers Attorney Responds to Coroner Reply to Request that Bodies Not Be Stored in Annex Bldg.
Description: The Prowers County Attorney Wrote the Following Letter to Prowers County Coroner Thomas Dunagan in Regards to Body Storage in the Annex Building on March 10, 2025...
Prowers Attorney Responds to Coroner Reply to Request that Bodies Not Be Stored in Annex Bldg.
March 10, 2025
Via Email:
Coroner Thomas Dunagan 1001 S. Main Street
Lamar, Colorado 81052
Re: Body storage in Annex building
Dear Coroner:
Thank you for your response. My job as County Attorney is to protect Prowers County, its elected officials and employees from liability.
The Annex is not a morgue. As I stated in my previous letter, there are not protections for the body of the deceased, namely, temperature controls and emergency back-up systems for a power outage where the cooler is located. There are also public health concerns around proper ventilation, odors and disease. There has been no due diligence from you to Public Health to confirm the requirements for storing the body of the deceased in the Annex.
Most importantly, the area is not secure. A portion of the area where the cooler is located is rented by Human Services and a portion is used as storage for Public Health. There are several people with access to the cooler's location.
I want to be clear that the Commissioners are not trying to impede your job as Coroner; however, they have a duty to ensure that there is no undue liability for Prowers County as they control Prowers County's buildings. The Commissioners care about the families of the loved one who is deceased. The area is not safe and secure to store the body of the deceased. In order to protect Prowers County from liability and help their community members, the cooler will be removed immediately from the Annex.
Very truly yours,
W. Rose F. Pugliese, Esq. Prowers County Attorney
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Prowers County Tells Coroner Not to Store Bodies in Annex Building
