Project Summary:

This story is part of KXAN’s “A Hanging on Backbone Creek” Catalyst investigation, launched November 18, 2024. As Texas’ population grows, critics point to the need for more medical examiners in death investigations, instead of the state relying so heavily on its current process in most counties, where an elected justice of the peace — already assigned many court-related duties — also has the power to determine cause and manner of death with scant training and often without autopsies or forensic expertise. During our reporting, Texas lawmakers resumed efforts to modernize that antiquated system, as a nearly-forgotten mystery resurfaced with a fresh review of a young girl’s strangulation case.

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Concerns surrounding Texas’ system for investigating deaths re-

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