By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – New Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod continued his first official week on the job completing unfinished business of ex-Coroner Terry Wilson.
Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod
On Monday, McLeod forwarded a change to the 1998 death certificate of Toledo resident Ronda Reynolds from suicide to undetermined, fulfilling a campaign promise to adhere to a judge’s 2009 order in the case.
And McLeod this week finished filling out the death certificate for 16-year-old Austin King of Morton. The teenager’s body was found in July, a month after he mysteriously vanished.
The coroner’s office had concluded by early October the manner of the Austin’s death was homicide, but refused to reveal the cause determined by the autopsy and a forensic specialist, at the request of the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
Even after prosecutors charged a suspect in November and alleged in court documents the teen was found with a cracked skull, the space on his death certificate for “cause” remained blank.
The newly elected community college instructor from Chehalis – following Wilson’s 28-year tenure – has vowed to make the workings of the office more transparent.
McLeod said yesterday when stepped into the elected office Jan. 1, Austin’s death certificate was already signed by Wilson and the cause of death read blunt injury to the head.
McLeod filled in the answer to “how it occurred” with the words “struck in the head by an assailant.”
McLeod said the decision on cause would have been made by the pathologist, but he is “just jumping into this at the tail end.” He didn’t have readily available the date of death listed on the certificate.
The new coroner said the reason for revealing the contents of the document now was because he met this week with Senior Deputy Prosecutor Brad Meagher.
“He told me all the information is out publicly,” McLeod said. “And there’s no longer any details being withheld from the public.”
The coroner’s office has not yet released Austin’s remains to his family, because the suspect’s attorney might want to engage an expert to examine them, according to the coroner’s office and the prosecutor’s office.
A June trial is scheduled for an acquaintance of the teenager, Jack Arnold Silverthorne, 20, of Renton, who is charged with first-degree murder and remains held on $2 million bail.
McLeod said the transition from old coroner to new has been very smooth and Wilson has been extremely helpful.
He said he met with Wilson several times and was given a key to the office not long after the November election.
“I’ve had authorization to go out on calls pretty much since the election,” McLeod said, noting he even attended autopsies before Jan. 1.
“I’m hitting the floor running,” he said.
He said he intends, at this point, to retain Dawn Harris as chief deputy coroner. Harris was promoted to the position in early August after Wilson’s longtime chief deputy was let go following an arrest for driving under the influence of prescription medications.
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