Mike Thomason stopped by the Hotel Pattee to visit with the Perry Kiwanis Club at their recent Tuesday luncheon meeting.
Thomson, who is known for his work with the Dallas County Emergency Medical Services, also works as one of three Dallas County Death Investigators.
Lee Coons, who also resides in Perry and is an employee of Dallas County EMS, is also a Dallas County Death Investigator. The county’s third death investigator lives in Waukee.
Thomason told the Kiwanians there were 250 deaths in Dallas County last year. Whenever there is an unattended death in the county, one of the three investigators is called and responds to the scene of death.
Once on scene, the investigator must investigate the cause of death and then report it to the state and also to Dr. Eric Ash, who is the Dallas County Medical Examiner. All deaths in the county are recorded.
If the death was from natural causes, then the investigator prepares the body for transport.
If death occurred as a result of a known crime, was suspicious or was a suicide, then the death investigator must preserve the evidence and work with law enforcement until the body can be removed, in some cases for autopsy.
Thomason said there were 25 cases of death from non-natural causes last year in Dallas County. He shared examples of some recent investigations that he participated in.
Thomason was welcomed to the meeting by Perry Kiwanis Club Past President and six-year Kiwanis member Tricia Steffen.
