Kohroner Chronicles

Send us a textEarly in my career as a coroner, I worked a hit-and-run involving a man I’ll call Harry. He was well known to nearly every law enforcement officer in Vigo County. Harry had battled alcoholism for years, been arrested countless times, and had lost his driver’s license long ago. He got around on a bicycle, until one night when he was struck and killed by a car whose driver fled the scene.

Send us a textWhen you spend your career as a coroner or forensic pathologist, your day-to-day stories don’t often fit neatly between mashed potatoes and green beans. But in my house, they did. When my children were little, we made a point to eat dinner as a family every night, even if my “interesting cases” occasionally became the topic of conversation. Don’t worry, I watered the stories down for young ears. But sharing those experiences wasn’t just about telling tales from work; it was about teaching lessons, lessons about choices, responsibility, and how quickly small mistakes can turn tragic.

Send us a textDr. Roland Kohr is diving straight into one of Indiana’s most haunting and widely discussed murder cases, the Delphi murders. In this new episode, Dr. Kohr unpacks not only the science and sequence of a forensic investigation but also the human side of what happens when tragedy meets meticulous procedure.People always want to know, who decides who does the autopsy? When does the coroner call in the pathologist? What’s the order of steps? “This case was unusual in how quickly the decision had to be made, and how much coordination was required between multiple investigators and the State Police,” Dr. Kohr said.

Send us a textDr. Kohr doesn’t mince words when addressing his frustration with how the Delphi case has been portrayed in the media. Having contributed expert insights to producers, he was dismayed to discover much of his commentary never aired.  “I spent an entire day under lights giving detailed, fact-based information on the case. But what the producers told me they were doing, and what they actually produced, were two very different things,” Dr. Kohr explained.

Send us a textFor most, a crime scene conjures images of detectives and evidence tape. For Dr. Roland Kohr, former Vigo County Coroner and longtime forensic pathologist, it meant stepping into environments as hazardous as they were tragic. “Of course you worry about what you’re exposing yourself to, the filth, potential bacterial growth, what you might bring home with you,” he says. His routine often included stripping down in the garage, bagging contaminated clothes, and showering immediately before setting foot inside his own house.