Sozio seeks the answers

Jay County Coroner’s Office has changed the way it conducts autopsies.

Since the election of coroner Mike Brewster in November, the office has hired a traveling pathologist to perform autopsies in the county, instead of having the procedure done in Fort Wayne.

Central to those changes is Dr. Thomas Sozio, a forensic pathologist and owner of Central Indiana Forensic Associates, LLC.

Previously, the county would take bodies to St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne for autopsies. Now, Sozio, whose practice is based in Indianapolis, comes to Jay County Hospital to conduct autopsies, saving time and money for the county.

For Sozio, the draw toward forensic pathology stems from a desire to find answers. He compared a death investigation to solving a complex puzzle.

“I always was into solving things,” Sozio said. “Putting the whole story together, figuring out what happened, and speaking for (the deceased) … I want to give the families some closure, some answers.”

But Sozio also said his work isn’t just about identifying how a person died. It can also be used to pinpoint potential medical problems that could be found in still-living family members, like an unknown history of heart disease or other genetic conditions.

“Every case is different. We might come across something totally unexpected,” Sozio said. “We might find something that might help identify family history problems.”

In the past, the county had to foot the bill for funeral homes to transport bodies to Fort Wayne and back, Brewster said. Now, he expects to save about $5,000 by the end of the year by having the autopsies conducted in Jay County.

“The good thing about Dr. Sozio coming here is the hospital is allowing us to use the morgue at no cost to the taxpayers,” Brewster said. “He brings all of his own equipment and staff, and has everything he needs.”

Sozio performs autopsies in counties around the state, including Boone, Hamilton, Johnson, Howard, Shelby, Madison and Hancock. He said travel is a necessity in a state that faces a shortage of forensic pathologists and a rising number of autopsies as a result of the ongoing opioid crisis.

“There’s just a lot more cases than there used to be,” Sozio said. “It really is an epidemic.”

By switching to Sozio, the coroner’s office is also able to receive toxicology on suspected overdose deaths much faster than in the past.

“When toxicology was sent out from St. Joe’s, it could take more than three months,” Brewster said.

Now Sozio sends fluids for testing at NMS Labs in Pennsylvania, and results are typically back to Brewster’s office within four weeks.

“Turnaround is just a lot faster,” Brewster added. “It’s been excellent to have him come here. If we have a death, he’s quick to respond.”

Autopsies are ordered by Brewster’s office in cases in which an individual died while unattended, a cause of death isn’t apparent or foul play is suspected.



His office calls Sozio, who is usually able to make it to Jay County Hospital within 24 to 36 hours. Sozio and his team conduct autopsies, calling in additional experts if necessary, and determine the cause of death. The data and findings are forwarded to the coroner’s office, which is then able to issue a death certificate.

Sozio said in his line of work, care is taken to conduct an autopsy while still leaving the body in a state that it can be viewed by the family afterwards.

“We want to do it correctly, a few bad cuts could ruin a funeral,” Sozio said. “After we do the examination, you can have a full open casket funeral.”

Just like any other doctor, the bottom line of Sozio’s work is the same: helping people.

“We just try to help families in the worst time of their life,” Sozio said. “I know my findings and advice get back to people that really want to know.”