About the Coroner

Location/Contact:

The Lewis County Coroner's Office is located at 585 NW Center Street, Chehalis, WA 98532.

Telephone number: 360-740-1376. If there is no answer please call Central Dispatch at 360-740-1105 ad ask to have the on call Deputy Croner call you back.

Coroner:

Warren McLeod has been the elected Coroner since January 2011.

Coroner Bio:

Warren was born and raised in Boston where he worked as an EMT for 14 years for volunteer and private ambulances services and finally for the City of Boston EMS. He was also an Auxiliary/Reserve police officer in a small town north of Boston for 9 years graduating from the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Training Council (MCJTC) Reserve-Intermittent academy in 1987.

In 1995 he moved to Las Vegas and worked for three years as an EMT in casinos before being hired in January 1998 as a Coroner Investigator for the Clark County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office in Las Vegas. Warren spent the next 11 years in that capacity during which time he conducted over 5, 000 medicolegal death investigations.

In December of 2008 he moved to Southwest Washington and began working as the Criminal Justice/Forensics Professor at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) in Olympia where he earned tenure. In 2010 he was elected Coroner and began his first term in January of 2011. The position was half time but was changed to full time in January of 2015. Since that time Warren has continued to teach at SPSCC and Grays Harbor College as an adjunct professor of criminal justice/forensics.

Warren lives on 5 acres in Winlock, WA.

EDUCATION:

Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice-College of S. Nevada

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice-University of Nevada at Las Vegas

Master of Arts in Justice Administration-Norwich University

Master of Arts-Political Science-American Military University

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

Nationally registered Death Investigator-American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI)

Vice-President of the Executive Board of the Washington Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners (WACME)

American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)

International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners (IACME)

International Association of Identification (IAI)-crime scene specialization

Washington Homicide Investigators Association (WHIA)

Through his memberships in these associations Warren has attended hundreds of hours of training covering investigation in all types of deaths.

Warren is committed to developing trust and partnerships with the community to proactively work to reduce preventable deaths.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Lewis County Coroner’s Office determines the cause and manner of reported deaths by conducting professional medicolegal death investigations while ensuring that everyone who has suffered a loss is treated with dignity, respect and compassion.

VISION STATEMENT

1. The LCCO is accessible and accountable to the public, media and other elected officials.

2. The LCCO continually strives to increase the proficiency and professionalism of all staff members through training.

3. The LCCO endeavors to develop and strengthen partnerships with the public safety community.

4. The LCCO works with community partners to adopt a proactive approach to reducing preventable deaths.