Changes made at Medical Examiner's Office following News 8 report, more changes proposed

Yahoo

a day ago

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — News 8 is following up on an investigation we brought you in April regarding a family navigating an emotional journey after discovering a loved one they were informed had died — was actually living out of state.
BACKGROUND: Shanita Hopkins described the pure shock of discovering her sister, Shanice Crews, had been living in Detroit several months after Rochester Police and the Medical Examiner's Office declared her dead last year.
This was three years after Shanice had gone missing — leaving her two young children with her family and cutting off all communication.
While Shanita told News 8 she's really focused on caring for her sister's children, she's concerned others may have similar and unusual situations.
'I honestly feel like they wanted to close a missing persons case,' Shanita Hopkins said. 'That's how I always felt, that's how I still feel.'
When News 8 first broke this story in April, Shanita Hopkins explained the confusion and emotional toll of learning her half-sister, Shanice, was found dead — with a cause determined to be an overdose.
That was February 2024, then fast forward months later, long after a funeral and memorials were held, a random message was sent to Shanita on Facebook from a stranger in Detroit.
It had a photo of Shanice from that very morning. This happened in November of 2024.
One point of emotional turmoil: The family had necklaces made with ashes of their mother mixed with the person presumed to be Shanice.
Determined to get to the bottom of what happened, a DNA test proved it was not a match, and the person who died was not Shanice.
Shanita told News 8 she was in talks with a lawyer but they may have missed any window to pursue action. She noted that Shanice's father was also seeking counsel.
'Me and Mark hasn't really been talking for a while after some stuff had happened, so we haven't really talked at all like I just seen him on the news taking credit for everything that I did, and I got upset about it,' Shanita said.
News 8 has attempted to speak with the Medical Examiner and the County Executive Adam Bello specifically about this story for weeks. News 8's did confirm with a County spokesperson: The County is no longer using the dental consultant used in this case and are contracting with a different dentist.
There is also a new policy in place where DNA testing is being done in addition to dental records. During the State of the County Address Wednesday afternoon, the County Executive addressed the challenges at the Medical Examiner's Office, noting there are currently three full time pathologists responsible for handling around 4,000 cases each year.
New action is also aiming to push the Medical Examiner's Office to state accreditation:
'This initiative, funded through the County's Opioid Settlement dollars would increase salaries for both current and budgeted positions, create new forensic pathology roles and expand contracts with outside forensic pathology contractors,' County Executive Bello said.
News 8's Isabel Garcia: Knowing that there are some changes being made at the County level as to how remains are identified, how does that make you feel?
Shanita Hopkins: It should already been in place. I feel like we're not the first family. And that's not really even a feeling. I know we're not the first family that this has happened to. It's just this is the first family that has they found out that their sister was alive.
Shanita and her other sister, who now has full custody of her niece, Shanice's daughter have since thrown out the necklaces.
Both are hopeful the family of the woman who was found deceased have the opportunity for closure as well.
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