County
Attempt To Liven Up Coroner Office
December 17, 2007 
Claiming “All images will be appropriate viewing for all ages,” Ada County Coroner Erwin Sonnenberg has launched a new web page he describes as “exciting.”
The INVESTIGATIONS PAGE is part of the official county website. The first “exciting entry” consists of a grisly close up photo showing a dog’s severed paw compared to X-rays of a human hand and the paw. The text details the paw was cut off with an ax or saw and was not human.
Apparently when the folks you examine don’t talk back and aren’t the least bit ticklish, the internet is a way to reach out to new friends. While he has tried to bring “CSI Boise” to local crime buffs, it is fair to say Erwin has not injected new life into the office of Coroner with his first production.
The self produced series is scheduled to change each month, but if the writer’s strike ever ends in Hollywood, look for it to get canceled.
UPDATE 10 p.m. Monday–
All three local television newscasts at 10p.m. lead off with the story of a cat mutilation case in Garden City. We don’t recall any major stories last March about a dog being chopped up. For the Coroner to deem the mutilated dog paw and resulting description worthy of “exciting” material for his web page puzzles the GUARDIAN. Did anyone ever investigate the fate of the dog?
UPDATE Tuesday–
Talk about missing the point! Here is the KBCI-TV news question regarding the photo of a severed dog’s paw laying in a pile of horse poop:
“The Ada County Coroner has a new ‘Coroner Investigations’ page on the county website with a picture of a hand. It asks, ‘Is it human or animal?’
Do you find the forensics side of this picture interesting, or appalling that it’s on the county website?” About 93% of their views found it interesting.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Dec 17, 2007, 2:07 pm
Because the “Staff Profiles” section contains no profiles, only pictures of the staff, I suggest they either rename it “Staff Pictures” or have the photos shot from the side. Perhaps they the same background used for Drivers Licenses.. or perhaps one of those height-markers like the jail uses.
Dec 17, 2007, 2:16 pm
How much will this cost the taxpayers?
Dec 17, 2007, 3:20 pm
Now why would the coroner think that it would be friendly viewing to see a severed dog’s paw particularly one that was cut off with an ax or a saw?
That’s just sick and uses tax dollars to make us sick. Great.
Thanks for telling us. This is one site that I definitely will NOT be viewing.
Dec 17, 2007, 3:36 pm
It took an x-ray to determine it wasn’t human?? I guess the thick layer of fur didn’t give it away.
Dec 17, 2007, 3:54 pm
The G-man has done it again. He has exposed a total lack of LOGIC at the local government level. Kill soldiers, collateral damage civilians, but do NOT do anything to dogs unless you want trouble.
Dec 17, 2007, 4:19 pm
Well, we do have to, errr, hmmm, HAND IT to the spender of our tax dollars. Appropriate, proportional, educational, educational, naww, just another way to make public officials appear as though they were standing behind the door when the clues were being handed out.
Dec 17, 2007, 4:48 pm
I heard the dog showed up at the coroner’s office, looking for the man who shot his paw.
Dec 17, 2007, 5:07 pm
NR should fax a resume to Leno.
There is nothing funnier than Boise, Idaho.
Dec 17, 2007, 7:47 pm
Using “shealyisnottheantichrist” as a screen name implies a statement of fact, when in fact Mr. Shealy’s status as antichrist or not, is a matter of opinion. He is, after all, a member of the political class here in the Treasue Valley that has brought us unending, unrestricted growth, which benefits only a select few, and degrades the quality of life of most of us.
They have brought us traffic problems, increased taxes to pay for that growth (which isn’t paying for itself, not by a long shot), increased crime, graffitti, smog, high density housing and a host of other problems. Just wait for the breakdown of the fabric of society. Examine any big city in the world. You wouldn’t want to live in one.
Now, I guess I should comment on the dog paw photo on the website story: probably a dumb idea.
Dec 17, 2007, 8:49 pm
When you look at something that has four digits instead of five, could that be the first clue that an x-ray may not be needed? Isn’t there ANYONE in county government that said, ” no Erwin, I don’t think this is such a good idea!”?
Dec 17, 2007, 10:19 pm
I thought Mr. Guardian just made up the dog story until I saw the coroner’s web page. SICK! He certainly has no concept of what is appropriate for children.
Dec 18, 2007, 12:52 am
My son, the junior scientist, would love to read the coroner’s site.
My daughter, the very junior veterinarian, will have to wait until there’s an entry that does not include even the suggestion of a dead dog.
Dec 18, 2007, 3:25 am
You know, some of us find such things interesting. Anf I know a bit about teenagers, they don’t appreciate censorship and sanitization any more than we do ad grownups.
Besides, If you dont want your kids to see it, be a PARENT. Use software.
If you think its bad taste, then go visit rotten.com. THATS bad. This is tame, and at least its an attempt, a decent attempt to make one of our public offices more public friendly. Considering the unique nature of the office, I think its a neat idea for a difficult task (more public interaction).
WHo knows, it may inspire some to seek a career in a related field:…medicine….law enforcement, or even law…Opps, your right…better ban the sight immediately.
Dec 18, 2007, 8:21 am
Big mistake, Editor. Don’t get folks going on the dog/cat thing. Those cat lovers can get mean.
Dec 18, 2007, 9:16 am
Well I will be honest and admit to some waffling on this subject. As a person who had a loved one become a “dead body” under suspicious circumstance; I remember going to the coroner to ask some questions.
I remember thinking at the time (and this was pre CSI tv and such) WHO? goes to a coroner and asks questions? and how do I know what to ask? and what will this be like and will it help??
Fast forward to now, and being a mom of teens, I like when my kids, well entire family in truth, look to find real information and to not believe all that is on tv and instead to think and apply knowledge.
So I can see in a way how the information could be helpful and educational.
I am guessing I am not the only person that is mulling over the idea and site, and weighing pros and cons and has not yet settled on a “side”.
t
Dec 18, 2007, 9:34 am
That looks like a BIGFOOT hand to me.
It’s a very normal-sized hand… if it were huge, the creature would be called “Bighand” instead of “Bigfoot.”
Did they hire somebody from one of the local TV news staffs, to be the ACCSI webmaster?
Digressing: I always assumed “shealyisnottheantichrist” was Councilman Shealy’s anonymous forum moniker. Surely nobody else believes that.
(-;
Dec 20, 2007, 11:54 am
There are people who will find such a website interesting, possibly even educational. Perhaps students in fields such as veterinary medicine, or forensic science, etc. will appreciate the coroner’s efforts. If you have no interest in such topics, why in hell would you be visiting the coroner’s website? For those who say they’re shocked and disgusted – let me suggest you refocus your prorities and write to the tv executives who are feeding your child’s appetite for sex and drugs by filling all hours of the day with shows about girls sleeping with several boys to decide whey one she’ll shack-up with for a week, at the networks expense, in exchange for providing such disgusting videotape for the show -or a family like the Kardashians who are “famous” because their daughters like to make videotapes of themselves having sex with their boyfriends..so famous that they have their own tv show!! Now thats disgusting! Do your kids watch Real World, I Love New York, Next, Batchelor, Wife Swap, not to mention daytime soap operas, etc.? All these tv smut shows also have websites you know. Get your priorities straight. The Ada County Coroner’s web site should be the very least of your concerns.