Coroner is more than Dr. Death

A call could come at any time and Lamar County Coroner Jim Smith or his Deputy Cindy Killingsworth must respond immediately. In the case of any sudden, unexpected or unexplained death, they must be notified and present before a body is moved. Then the work begins.”It’s not an easy job,” said Smith. “When I took the job I was surprised it went so far beyond signing death certificates.” Smith graduated from the Virginia Police Academy and worked for the states of Virginia and Florida before he became Lamar County’s coroner 23 years ago. ”I went to the Virginia Police Academy and stayed at the academy for six months. We ate, slept and drank law for six months,” said Smith. “We had professors from Harvard come down and teach us law.”