New forensic pathologist starts in Santa Cruz County
By Stephen Baxter, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Fiore, 53, spent much of her career in
"I first became interested in
She contacted the
"She's incredibly talented and extremely bright,"
As a prosecutor, Schubert worked with Fiore on homicide cases and described her as hardworking, fair and objective on the witness stand. Coroners often have to testify about cause and manner of deaths in homicide cases. She worked in
"Good, bad or indifferent, you're going to get an honest opinion from her," said Schubert. "
Fiore graduated from
During a lecture there, two forensic pathologists captured her attention. She liked the problem-solving aspects of homicide cases, and he enjoyed the blend of medicine and the law.
Distilling complex medical topics into concepts that jurors can understand, Fiore has testified more than 175 times as a forensic pathologist. She says she tries to be a neutral source for prosecutors and defense attorneys.
"I view it as teaching the jury," Fiore said.
Part of Fiore's medical training came in the aftermath of
She remembers being in a meeting when the first plane hit the
Because she lived outside
"It was very stressful," Fiore said.
She and others tried to identify victims through fingerprints -- if the victims had fingers, she said. Families of victims eventually brought in dental records or DNA samples to find matches to remains. Many needed death certificates.
Later working in
It typically handles more than 350 autopsies each year, compared with about 230 autopsies performed annually in the
In
New goals
Some of her other goals include speeding up the pace of autopsy results and being available to speak to families of the deceased.
Fiore said she recently moved in to a home in
"She's a very good forensic pathologist," Gin said. "You all are lucky to have her."
Born:
Home:
Age: 53
Occupation: Forensic pathologist for the
Education:
Work: Chief forensic pathologist at
Personal: Married to West Sacramento Vice Mayor
Hobbies: Cooking, reading, exercise.
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(c)2014 the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.)
Visit the Santa Cruz Sentinel (Scotts Valley, Calif.) at www.santacruzsentinel.com
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