KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Most times, Medicolegal Death Investigators look into the circumstances surrounding a person’s death, but on Friday, one investigator in Knoxville got the chance to save a life.
The Knox County Regional Forensic Center posted about the incident on social media Friday evening, and the Knoxville Fire Department released additional information about the situation Saturday afternoon.
KFD said emergency responders were dispatched to a reported medical emergency around 1:22 p.m. Friday. It is unclear exactly what happened, but the Knox County Regional Forensic Center shared that the medical examiner’s office responded to a report of a dead body at a home. When the Medicolegal Death Investigator who responded, Kenzie Sellers, began examining the body, she noticed that the person was not actually deceased, the forensic center said.
Sellers quickly switched to provide life-saving measures with the help of Knoxville Police officers. The forensic center said the person was revived and was still alive at the time of their social media post Friday evening.
“This is not something that occurs in the daily routine of a death investigator and we are extremely proud of Investigator Kenzie Sellers and her quick thinking that saved a life today. She was truly a hero today!”
Knoxville Fire Department said it was not able to confirm who initially made the determination that the person was dead because of privacy laws, adding that the involved employees have been reassigned to administrative duties pending an internal invetigation. KFD said it is expecting the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services to independently investigate the situation as well.
“We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the individual and their family, holding them close in our thoughts during this challending time,” a Knoxville Fire Department spokesperson wrote in a statement.
Medicolegal Death Investigators are the forensic center’s first responders and investigate deaths that fall under the medical examiner’s jurisdiction, the Knox County Regional Forensic Center’s website stated. These investigators gather and document circumstantial, historical and other information, help in identifying a person’s cause and manner of death, preserve evidence, and work alongside other agencies to help find decedent’s next of kin.