Unattended
Idaho’s Troubled Coroner System
In Idaho, elected coroners face limited oversight, often have little training and typically work on shoestring budgets. They also order autopsies at a rate far lower than the national average.
Featured Posts in this Series
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He Was Accused of Killing His Wife. Idaho’s Coroner System Let Clues Vanish After a Previous Wife’s Death.
Clayton Strong had a history of domestic unrest in two marriages. The women’s families say a more thorough investigation of Betty Strong’s death in Idaho might have saved the life of his next wife, Shirley Weatherley, in Texas.
Series Timeline
July 16, 2025
Clayton Strong showed up at an Idaho hospital in 2016 with his wife's body in the car. A coroner took his word for what happened to her. Years later, Strong was charged with murdering his next wife.
March 5, 2025
A bill moving through the Idaho legislature made modest changes to the coroners system by clarifying the coroner’s role.
Dec. 2, 2024
We reported on decades of calls for reform to Idaho’s coroner system. Lawmakers came close to instituting change a few times, but each of these efforts collapsed.
Nov. 11, 2024
Two-month-old Onyxx Cooley was born with a cleft palate but apparently otherwise healthy. One morning in 2024, his mother awakened to find him unresponsive. The coroner ordered no autopsy, didn’t go to the scene and didn’t interview the parents, steps prescribed by national guidelines.
Feb. 20, 2024
An Idaho legislative committee heard a state report on the lack of oversight and support for county coroners. The report flagged Idaho’s low autopsy rate.
7 stories published since 2024
