Words of Welcome
Welcome to the web pages of the San Diego County Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner Office is centrally located in Kearny Mesa (address and map below) in the County Operations Center. In the following pages, we hope you will find useful information about the services, education and research efforts of the Medical Examiner’s Office as well as collected data on our cases and important links.
San Diego County is slightly larger than the State of Connecticut with some 4200 square miles including 70 miles of coastline. It is bordered by Mexico to the South, Imperial County to the East and Riverside and Orange Counties to the North. It has a population of 3.2 million with diverse ethnicities and a diverse geography including desert, high plains, forests, mountains, mesas and coastal plains. There are approximately 22, 000 deaths in the county annually with approximately 11,000 cases reported and investigated by the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office, of which approximately 3,000 cases are brought in for further evaluation.
The Medical Examiner’s Office, formerly the Coroner’s Office, is currently situated within the County Operations Center and housed in a 16,000 square foot 1960’s vintage facility in which 60 employees work within five divisions: investigations, pathology, toxicology, examination room and administration. The Medical Examiner’s Office is anticipated to occupy a new facility of 84,000 square feet shared with the county Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in the County Operations Center on 16 December 2009. The new facility will provide additional space for body examination and storage, laboratories, education and training.
Glenn N. Wagner, D.O.
Chief Medical Examiner
Mission Statement
Promote safe and livable communities by certifying the cause and manner of death for all homicides, suicides, accidents and sudden/unexpected natural deaths in San Diego County. In addition, provide related forensic services, assistance and education to families of the deceased, as well as to public and private agencies, in a professional and timely manner.
Location
Physical Address
9320 Farnham St.
San Diego, CA 92123 (Click for Map)
Mailing Address
San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office
5555 Overland Ave.
Suite 1411
San Diego, CA 92123
Phone: (858) 694-2895
Fax: (858) 495-5956
