06-03-2025
Dr. Roland Kohr shares stories from the field
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — For decades, Dr. Roland Kohr has been at the forefront of forensic pathology in the Wabash Valley, and today he is combining that science with storytelling.
Kohr is a renowned forensic pathologist that served as Vigo County's Coroner for four terms. He said his favorite part of the job was blending medicine with crime.
'My wife likes to say, on occasion, that I can be a doctor and play cops and robbers at the same time', Kohr said. 'That's satisfying, especially when you help see that justice gets done.'
As a specialist in the field, Kohr performed almost 8,000 autopsies and was asked to speak at multiple high-profile trials, including the recent Delphi case.
He said his background in education gave him comfort, despite the high stakes.
'With the teaching background I have, it really made it easy to speak to a jury', Kohr said. 'I realized, what I am doing to the jury is teaching them more than anything else. I don't neccessarily advocate for one side or the other, but who I advocate for is the deceased person. I'm the person speaking on their behalf, whereas the prosecutor responds for the state, and the defense attorney represents the accused. Only one person actually speaks for the deceased person.'
Kohr said many people have told him he needs to write a book about all he has seen throughout his career. Kohr offered the idea to a publisher but was denied because of a lack of social media presence, so he began recording a podcast called 'Kohroner Chronicles' from his own home.
'I choose stories that are of general interest which reflect my involvement from a scientific standpoint, from the commonsense standpoints, and how it all fits together and why it makes sense', Kohr said. 'I'm trying to keep a nice story that's 15 to 20 minutes long, without getting into way too much detail.'
Kohr has a wealth of stories through his decades of forensic work, including some that local residents may not have heard of.
'I haven't got it recorded yet, but one of the episodes is going to have to do with the two surfing deaths we had in Vigo County', Kohr said. 'People are going to say, surfing death, what. We'll you'll have to stay tuned and listen to the podcast to find out.'
Through the podcast process, Kohr has continued to work on his book. This year, he is looking to finish the writing and present the newest version to a publisher.
'It will be a combination of stories, and the stories are not just about crime', Kohr said. 'Part of the stories are going to be about Vigo County politics and how it impacted the office, the obstacles I faced early on. In some cases, it was downright hostility. Some interesting personalities I've had to deal with and some interesting twists and turns we've had over the years.'
Dr. Kohr's book is still in the final stages, but you can reserve your copy or read more about his podcast here.
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