A Coroner | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #459
all right I have some new tour dates to. announce uh we've just added a third. show in Milwaukee on September 9th at. the Riverside Theater tickets for that. are on sale now I'll also be in Oakland. California Akron Ohio Washington D.C Las. Vegas Nevada. um some of those have new shows those. are all at theovan.com. t-o-u-r and thank you so much for your. support new merch for you merch heads. out there we've got some new shorts.
that's right the Rat Life shorts and. blue salmon and sand. we've also got the new tie-dye be good. to yourself teas in aqua creamsicle and. indigo. get that in more only at. theovinstore.com today's guest is a uh a. doctor of death baby he's at corner. and he's at death man. he sits right there on a doorstep of the. devil and when the buzzer Rings he.
answers it. uh he's based out of Lafayette Louisiana. and um they got it all going down there. all type of death happening and he's. going to tell us more about it. I'm grateful for his time today he's 18. years in the profession today's guest is. Mr Toby savoir. [Music].
[Music]. [Applause]. I'm sitting here with a corner today Mr. Toby sabwa. and you are a corner I am actually. um a death investigator for the. coroner's office the coroner is somewhat. of a political position uh involves.
being a doctor so we have a doctor. that's a coroner over or parish and then. the majority of the works done by death. investigators like myself okay now in. Louisiana they know you as the coroner. just you know it's too hard to to break. down medical death investigator versus. coroner or coroner's office oh it's too. hard to break down a good oyster. dressing recipe over there for somebody. that's right you know what I'm saying. you put too much information on somebody. in Louisiana they're going to start. punching that's right especially at a. time of death yeah they're not they're.
not registering all that so we go with. coroner's office but we are legally. death investigators okay so when does. someone call a corner and and what is a. corner death investigator I'm going to. call it a corner for the episode that's. fine okay what is a coroner so a coroner. is um an elected position. but. what we do is we go out when someone. dies or we're called every time someone. dies that lives within our Parish okay. or County or county in Louisiana it's.
parishes. um so we will we're called if it's a. natural case or if it's a homicide. suicide of any of the manners of death. um there's different rules for people. that may not be from Louisiana or from. or city and state. um if it's a natural cause it would go. back to that state of residence but. anytime it's an accident or just your. general natural death it comes to us. okay we have to pick up the phone and. decide you know is this natural causes. or is there Foul Play we work closely.
with police okay so the police give you. a call that's right we'll get a call. from the Sheriff's Office the local city. police. hospitals nursing homes and they say. Toby we got a. yeah we have a case we have a we have a. so in healthcare we say patience okay in. the coroner's office it's subject so we. have a subject here who's uh an 86 year. old laying in bed okay and so then I. know what questions to ask and how to. pick the case apart and do you guys. physically go to the scene we do um okay.
not all scenes I mean if it's an 80 year. old who's on hypertension medicine and. blood pressure medicine heart medication. um that's a gimme yeah that you know has. a really really uh history of medical. history we don't necessarily have to go. out for those the police are there to. call Foul Play right but if they're. laying in bed and they were found by. their spouse you know it's normally a. natural case if they see something that. may look suspicious then we'll go out. all right but for the majority of the.
naturals we don't we we can release. those by phone and direct them to a. funeral home not even a zoom you don't. even have to do Zoom or nothing nothing. no we just we just take the call get the. information we still investigate the. death but we don't have to go out for. everyone okay so when you do go out do. you take like a tool kit with you or. what do you guys is there like. what do you bring with you how do you. approach a scene like if it's a sure a. death yeah so a subject so we have a bag. of gear that we use now in Louisiana.
we're a poor State and a poor Parish. when I started they gave me a can often. a badge really said tell us when they. did no teasing but but. basically basically um we go out so we. we have sir we have tools that we use on. scene you know we need we need a. flashlight to see around sometimes. um the biggest thing that we do on scene. after investigating the scene which goes. into a lot of things we'll do toxicology. we'll draw blood. um if the person suspects suspected. overdose or overdose might be a.
possibility and most of the overdoses by. the way are accidental overdoses people. hear OD and they think intentional but. so if we think drugs were involved we'll. bring a spinal needle or just a regular. syringe we can we can draw blood out of. the heart which is like a Pulp Fiction. scene the movie with the long spinal. needle y'all go right in we go right in. the heart there's no pulse so getting. blood out of veins when they're deceased. is is not a thing that we can do so we. take blood from the heart or we can go.
in through the side of the eye and. that's called vitriol fluid and how much. is in the eye so we get about you know. four CC's out of the eye it's not always. uh some have more than others really but. we'll go in we'll tap in through the. side of the eye oh you're not into the. eyeball yeah I'm into the eyeball so I. take a two or three inch long needle and. I go in at a horizontal angle just to. puncture it and then I aspirate the. fluid out of there that's in the eye. that's in the eye yeah so that's.
toxicology and when you're getting it. out the eyeball. um there's less of a chance that it. could clot up because we send these uh. specimens to uh forensic toxicology Labs. so when you're going through the heart. and the lungs sometimes it can have. blood clots in it and other things and. they may not be able to perform the test. 99.9 of them with blood are fine but it. is nice having that and then the heart's. not always easy to find whether you know. it could be a car accident they could.
have some major crushing going on in the. chest it could be a gunshot wound where. there's no blood left in the heart that. we can get oh wow so the eye is a second. option and then if that doesn't work we. can actually put a slit and the belly. and pull out a piece of liver and send. part of their liver off to a lab to be. analyzed so we we have a syringe with. several different sized needles. um and tools to use if we have to cut. into them to grab liver to send off and. so that's all for taking toxicology. that's right okay and what death.
determine toxicot like which so you said. if it seems like a natural death you. guys can almost do it over the phone. right it's not if it's a different type. of death where there could have been a. homicide or an accident then you want to. show up and do toxicology correct we and. we do more than toxicology we're. investigating the scene everything. around it the home oh I mean we have to. we look at everything not only the body. but the surroundings a lot of times. that'll paint a picture of of what's. going on with that individual case. um for instance I had a case where you.
know the the deputy was new. um he thought it was suspicious because. the 80 year old wife woke up and noticed. her spouse was cold and the timeline on. on that on that case the the deputy said. he's really cold and she's just finding. him well that's natural you know you're. sleeping you may not notice your. significant other is cool to the touch. until yes if you don't have any type of. intimate relationship right well you're. 80 years old you've been sleeping. together for 50 years you know but he.
thought it was suspicious. um so in that regard I went out and said. no she just rolled over and noticed that. he was cold there's no foul play here. this 80 year old lady didn't whack her. husband you know after marriage for 50. years and if she did without showing. signs of any trauma then good for her. yeah you know they've been married for. for way too long but no yeah so some. national yeah at some point somebody you. got to give her the benefit of the doubt. yeah yeah we'll go out when they. question something like so say on a. scene are the Police or Sheriffs are.
they happy to see you or are they do you. sometimes or do they think oh this guy. tries to contradict what we think. usually no no they're they're they. really like when we come out a lot of. times Detectives will wait to hear if. we're responding if we're responding. then there could be something abnormal. then detectives will also come okay. different different agencies use their. detectives in different ways some. respond to all others don't it just. depends on the time and place okay but. there are many difficult scenes to.
respond on but they're looking they're. looking to us to help them. um you know rule out Foul Play and other. things like that because you guys have. separate training than they do correct. we're we're medicine based they're law. enforcement based although you know. those guys really. um do a good job as you know especially. the ones that have been there a while. sometimes they'll call things that I may. have not noticed yet you know and. they'll say hey what about this and. they'll also give us a description of. what went on they can look at the.
history of that of that subject to see. you know this person's been arrested. several times for drug abuse or domestic. violence Etc so they're giving us. information that we can use yeah on that. scene and on that investigation so yeah. so take me through like an interesting. call that's come in you know especially. down here in Louisiana dang yeah you. know I knew people that could you know. they couldn't learn the alphabet and. they took their own life that's right we. see a lot of that you know there's a lot. of preventable deaths that we can talk. about but you know a typical call in.
Louisiana is. um anything from heart disease suicide. OD. um but to be more specific. um. we've had many that they find a body. floating in the bayou and that can be. different you know because they've been. exposed to water so you know they may be. bloated more some of the the surface. evidence or the trace evidence that we. use is not there because they've been. floating you can see where Turtles and. and other animals in the water have. nipped at them oh yeah so it can be.
somewhat gruesome and then hard to tell. you know why are they in this water you. know they're dressed in regular street. clothes you know they were swimming they. weren't swimming they weren't fishing. and they're in the water. um sometimes people OD and their friends. have no clue what to do with them so. they throw them into the Bayou. um sometimes these guys are just you. know hanging out and they slip and fall. and hit their head or they pass out you. know we don't always know what got them. to the Bayou now how do those bodies. look if you roll up on a bot because.
I've always wanted to find a deceased. body I think a lot of people have bucket. list of mine I see them every day but. I've never rolled up on one yeah yeah. yeah. um is why is that a bucket list thing. for people I don't know but it happens. often I had a guy cutting the grass at a. rent house and found a body God did he. get any Intel or he just got lucky no he. just got lucky he was cutting grass and. boom he found that body a lot of times. if you work and stay focused and you. keep working towards I mean you know. it's better than some lazy dude who's.
doing nothing finding a body right at. least that guy's out there and doing. something well when that lazy person. finds about it you got a question how. did you find this body you know yeah. um we had one recently that was just a. driver was passing by and there was a. lady in the ditch now what was. interesting was her arms were removed. she was a Mexican female. damn that's interesting so they removed. her arms because of her tattoos so this. was a Oh the killer this was a hit job. correct and they didn't want her. identified you know so they see this in.
a ditch and they call us and then we got. to figure out where's the arms you know. so. um there's interesting cases like that. where people just you know they right. time right place and they find bodies. and so he says did you roll up on that. scene with no arms yes yes so when you. get there what's going on like are. people Milling around is somebody. if you know like what's the scene like. when you roll up on it well in that. regard there's no family's present you. know. um it's different than most you know.
it's a lot of sheriffs uh standing. around looking at the dead body now we. have jurisdiction on that body and. legally they're not supposed to touch. that body until we get there okay so of. course I would get there look at the. scene you know to try to find out does. she have family around here what's she. doing in this area she's not from here. um they'll do an investigation the law. enforcement will do an investigation on. the airport and then I'll start looking. at the body for obvious signs of Foul. Play and in this regard she had no arms.
so we knew something wasn't right and it. wasn't like an alligator or an animal. came out and removed her arms this was. intentional wow wow you know so in that. case we would get him to an autopsy oh. yeah and do you look for the arms or you. just think just kind of put a note like. keep not like keep an eye out for arms. or whatever like what do y'all do about. the arms you don't worry about it well. the Sheriff's Office and law enforcement. they worry about that they worry about. that okay yeah I mean of course we all.
look around the scene to see if you find. anything because there could be evidence. on those arms. um but many times they go you know. unfound. um oh gosh it'd be crazy yeah I mean I. had a guy find a foot once it was from a. from a fatality but they called me and. this was you know Weeks Later hey we. found a foot would you come pick it up. they don't want to touch it even you. know so I throw a bag in my car and I go. grab a foot it's it's it's a different. lifestyle you know yeah you know if I.
get pulled over yeah you know carrying. anything uh yeah man I got a foot in my. car. yeah bro I got a 10 and a half in the. trunk absolutely absolutely dude that's. wild man yeah that's interesting and you. put that foot in the trunk you put it in. the back seat what do you do yeah well. in that case I figured it would be. pretty pretty gnarly so I actually. brought a disposable ice chest and. packed it in there and then got it to. the funeral home that they brought her. body to. um she may have been sent to Cremation. but uh either way the funeral home would.
take care of that body part okay enough. traveled was with were so you know in. Louisiana it doesn't snow often. they had we had a case years ago where. it was an infant death and the autopsy. places in um. the autopsy place is about an hour and a. half away from our where we live okay or. where we work in our Parish so um they. had a baby that had passed away and they. asked hey it was snowing really bad hey. can you meet us halfway with this child. and I'm in my personal car I'm like sure.
so the baby of course is in a body bag. yeah um so I'm driving down the highway. with a with a baby and how big is that. body but I mean it's like a gallon or. something well it's you know it's like a. duffel bag for a baby oh yeah but you. know again you get pulled over and I. have an unmarked car I'm in street. clothes or normally scrubs oh yeah what. do you carrying at least you're not in a. Miata or something yeah yeah you get. pulled over in a Miata and you got a. baby in a duffel bag bro I kind of I. kind of went over the speed limit just.
to kind of maybe maybe man if I could. only get pulled over here you know uh it. would be an interesting case but no you. know it's sad for when we lose babies. like that but the fact of the matter is. the baby needed to go to autopsy and. we'll do anything we can to assist in. that regard and if it meant driving. through the snow 30 45 minutes you know. we'll do that yeah that's uh some of the. things that we do to help so your. responsibility then you feel a. responsibility to determine how people.
died is that it correct we figure out. why they died we put all the pieces of. the puzzle together okay some are cut. and dry you know. we can look at their medication their. age you know do they smoke drink how. much do they weigh are they unhealthy. you can tell that by their homes too I. mean so I'm a Cajun investigator right. the first thing I look at is their. fridge I don't even look at the body I. walk in the house and I open the fridge. wow and you know when there's Pizza. bones and a spoon and a in a in a jar of.
beans and maybe some rotten Popeyes and. a couple of 40 ounce beers I know this. person wasn't living a healthy lifestyle. yeah I know this person was listed in a. mystical too that's right so I'm. thinking heart disease from the get-go. [Music]. so you know again we look at their home. the cleanliness the order of their home. you can tell how people live so a lot of. times the ba the body is is a reflection. of its environment that it lives in.
absolutely wow so I was called to one. case where the deputies said um this. one's. um this case is unusual we'd like you to. come out and so then I go out and they. had noticed some blood dripping on the. floor on the floor blood stains out of. the body just in no just on the floor. okay that's all they've noticed right. they saw that and then the body was an. adult male on a couch okay. um so I walked into the house and I mean. we're we're reading everything the. minute we get on scene even even you.
know what friends and family are there. how do they look who's their neighbors. uh what area they live in so I walk into. the house and this was kind of in the. country and uh the first thing I see is. he had Mickey's Malt Liquor memorabilia. everywhere so I said okay okay I like. this guy's style you know he's a. middle-aged guy yeah he's a Kappa Sig. probably yeah so I'm looking at that and. then I asked the detectives to show me. the the where the the blood stains are. well I go and I look and there were some. cobwebs over the door so I could tell.
that that home hadn't that that area of. the house hadn't been used okay just. from the cobwebs and stuff okay but when. I opened the fridge there was a intact. Hawks head in the fridge with fur on it. I mean that's odd you know and yeah and. then so then I look in the oven and the. guy's making cracklins in an oven now if. you've ever made cracklins you know. you're stirring those in grease when. you're baking cracklins on a Tuesday. night and you save the hog's head to. make Hog's head cheese later you're.
going to definitely have heart disease. you know there's no foul play here. fellas and that blood probably came when. he was moving the hog's head from the. kitchen to the I mean from the counter. to the refrigerator oh from the actual. hog you think yeah yeah absolutely so. you know again when you're on your last. limb for a snack you know yeah that's. crazy when you bake in cracklins bro. you're gonna have high cholesterol at a. minimum. um but you know again the blood stains. triggered the law enforcement to to call. and uh the fridge told me the story yeah.
as well as the way the guy lived he. smoked cigarettes he had you know. alcohol everywhere. um and Papa Was a Rolling Stone you know. he. that environment told me you know that. what was going on with him right it gave. you a lot of Clues right there yeah. cracklins you got to have the Heat's got. to be so high on cracklins man you can't. do it in the oven I don't think I've. never tried it I I don't know but he was. you know he definitely tried to pull up. how to make crackling see if you could. pull it out I just want to get this.
recipe my sister would make them out. there they lived off in Gonzalez so we. make them you get a big large black pot. right you put it out in the yard you got. to cut that stuff up the fire under it. you cut that fat up and then you put it. in grease yeah and you just constantly. stir that grease. porno a pot deep enough that the top of. oil is at least six inches from the rim. place over medium-high heat when the oil. reaches 225 degrees. on a deep fat frying thermometer add the. pork cubes and start stirring to prevent. clumping yeah so it's high oil I guess.
you can bake them if you bake them long. enough but. God that's risky though yeah it's just. it can't taste good I don't know yeah I. couldn't imagine it because you got to. really get them to pop and so I just. couldn't imagine them doing it well and. you do dumb when you're drinking. you know maybe it was one of those. nights like hey let's bake some. cracklets yeah who knows let's give it a. run yeah yeah yeah yeah I don't know if. it did and then that fella have a wife. or do they seem kind of Lonesome no he. uh he was single he did have a family.
children you know on scene but he he. lived alone now say if you pull up on. like let's go back to that water body. right right what happens to a body when. it's in water because I think sometimes. a lot of people fantasize that's one of. the fantasies I'm gonna find a body you. know it's either in the Woods by the. interstate or I'm going to walk down by. a creek bank and there's going to be a. body right there I think that's some of. the general fantasy of humans. um what is that body realistically look. like depending on how long it's been in. yeah so you know.
it bloats you get a lot of bloating in. the water the whole body puffs up uh. normally the tongue protrudes out uh you. don't think about that the gases and the. the gases and the decomposer you know. the body sink and then they rise when. when the gases start to to fill up the. body and that's when we find them a lot. of times they'll be snagged in a in. branches on a bayou or in the river. um but that body's gonna bloat a lot and. then again Turtles and other animals out.
in the water will start pecking at them. so it looks a little bit more traumatic. than it than it is. um but if we're unsure we can always. send that body to autopsy to try to. determine exactly what happened and. they'll take them apart and a lot of. times they'll cut into their heart and. realize well this guy had a massive. heart attack I see you know so there was. no foul play or he's full of drugs and. there's no external trauma so nobody hit. him in the back of the head and threw. him in there hmm.
yeah maybe pull up a little water bloat. for us. oh. yeah so that's you know. online these days it looks like a. Simpsons character huh. he does. sorry to say that I feel that it's a. human being. um oh my gosh so we go from looking. pretty healthy to not healthy pretty how. pretty quickly I mean that's. unbelievable yeah and you know. especially in Louisiana it's so hot and. so humid and you'd just be amazed at. people that live with no electricity oh.
bruh if you leave a baby in the yard for. 30 minutes bro I'd have algae on one. side yeah yeah I mean it you know it's. um. it's just like that nature really Reigns. Supreme down there it really does. um. with the busy fall season just around. the corner you may be looking for. wholesome convenient meals for. jam-packed days some days you're just so. jam-packed. you're like gosh I'm just jam-packed. factor is America's number one ready to.
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electricity bill and then some people. are just really hardcore on drugs you. know we had a house one time that in the. kitchen there was a piece of plywood and. when the officer slid the plywood back. that's where they were using the. restroom they were in a hole in. the kitchen and then they would cover it. up with a piece of wood I mean that's. that that's pretty hardcore in your home. but you'll see enemies too really you'll. see that you know with people that just. abuse drugs to the point of you know. they're living in condemned homes or.
what's that been like with uh the drug. use and stuff like that do you guys do. you guys come up on a lot of like ODS. and stuff what's that has that changed. the way you even approached the industry. I mean how busy has that gotten things. yeah that's um. you know when I first started you know. 18 years ago we would have occasional. ODS accidental ODS. um. but that has increased by a thousand. since uh fentanyl has hit the streets. Fentanyl and crystal meth um.
the ODS are every day every day you know. it affects every age group you can. imagine you know really the opioid. epidemic came. um and that you know that was started. the the whole opioid thing was started. when the hospital started using surveys. to uh to to compare themselves to other. hospitals it was called The Press Gainey. and one of the the questions in that in. that survey was how did we treat your.
pain so and then the reason behind the. survey was hospitals all have the same. equipment you have the same MRI as the. hospital 20 miles down the road all your. equipment's the same but what can you do. better than another and that's customer. service so all these patients would get. these satisfaction surveys in the mail. and I worked in the hospitals and so we. would we would actually skit things so. when they got home they would remember. key words and they would they would rate. US or they would give us a good rating. for instance do you have no did they.
have enough time for you in the hospital. so we were are instructed to say is. there anything else I can do for you I. have time so it was this uh it's a plan. as a strategy wow yeah and so then how. did we treat your pain was another one. the Press gaining it was called yeah and. it was a I mean it's a great program you. know it teaches people how to really. people in hospitals how to really you. know go the extra mile for patients we. do things that we don't think about you. know we close that door before we you. know do a test on you so you're not. exposed.
um but we don't you don't really know. that we're doing that so things like hey. I'm going to close this door for your. privacy and you know it it's it's it was. a great program but one of the things. was uh pain control so you think that. that was do you think that that was the. motive of the program or do you think. that that was just a side effect of the. program that was a side effect you don't. think that they strategize this program. just in order to get people to be able. to give them to for them to notice okay. for them to get that answer about the. pain right no no not at all it and.
it was absolutely a side effect if you. will of that. um Chris Gainey it's called yeah let's. bring it up I don't know if if that's. still a uh they still do surveys of. course right but in the 90s that that. was one that 98 of all hospitals used. um a lot of hospitals were owned by the. the same Corporation so you had five or. six hospitals in your area and they. would do side-by-side comparisons of. each other and we all wanted to have the. highest rating right so your hospital.
wants to go for the best rating we're. ranked number five in the nation we're. ranked number three in the Paris two in. the state exactly so this is press. Gainey right here and they are get to. know your patients like never before see. patients from every angle to prioritize. and predict their needs. um if you scroll down a little just want. to see what it is so it's about patient. experience tools yes so this is a. company that helps. uh practitioners I guess know how to. best treat their patients.
is that right correct okay press game so. when you go to the hospital even today. when you get home you'll get a survey in. the mail I see and then you know you. fill out that survey and mail it back. same as when you call a t and they say. would you hold you know to complete this. customer service survey but so then you. know how did we treat your pain was one. of them and so then Physicians started. ordering more pain medication not. intentionally to hurt the patient this. this wasn't the the goal. um but you'd get a patient with a broken.
arm and instead of getting 15 tablets on. discharge they'd give you 60. so a lot. of the opiate addiction started from the. over utilization of prescribing pain. medication you know a dentist might give. you 40 whereas the 40 hydrocodones or. Lortabs or oxycodones you know the. instead of giving you 10 they would you. know give you 40 or 60. so the. government came in and with the opioid. epidemic and they Tamp that down and put.
into regulations so we would we wouldn't. hand out so many pain pain pills we the. addiction Rose by a hundred percent but. it took a long time for them to come in. and do that yeah it did and so because. you guys were experiencing a lot of. Overdose deaths not so yeah yes but you. know the overdoses. um weren't necessarily from just taking. Hydro APAP you know there was always. like a poly drug abuse meaning multiple. drugs being used but those were still. rare at the time we didn't get as many.
overdoses as we do now you know I miss. crack the crack days were so much easier. than the new days uh because why is that. because it's that much more lethal. um oh crack is yeah oh fentanyl fentanyl. is much more you know the crack epidemic. was a thing. um but then the the when the pain. epidemic hit that's when we really. started losing people. um so what's the difference between like. a crack death and a fentanyl death well. I mean it's basically going to be a.
cardiac event. um fentanyl you know you stop breathing. um that's a very powerful drug the um. the back to the the opioid um the docs. were giving out medication people were. getting addicted and then the government. came in and stopped it and they just cut. everybody off and they made it to where. Physicians could get in a lot of trouble. if they over prescribed and then I think. they came back after that just recently.
and said hey we didn't mean not to treat. people with pain because then you have a. lot of people turning to heroin you know. when you're taking opiates and you're on. them for you know five or six years and. you're addicted and then one day you. just can't get any a lot of people turn. to heroin we we really didn't have a. great uh system to get people in to. rehabs you know if you want to if you. want to commit somebody for drug abuse. they have to go voluntarily and you can. imagine that not everyone wants to go.
another role of the coroner's office we. have the ability to remove you from your. we can take you and send you somewhere. we're against your will yeah and that's. a that's the other arm of the coroner's. office I didn't know that at all but but. so you get but how do you get those. calls because you think the corner or. death investigators are just getting. called about death so who's calling you. yeah law enforcement they they know that. oh they say hey this guy over here we. need we think he should be 5150 or. something yeah he needs to be in a.
hospital okay we need to get him to an. ER and into a psych Hospital can you. guys help us with that right so we yeah. so that we fill out paperwork the. coroner actually signs off on the. paperwork and then the police can go and. remove you against your will and bring. you to an Eeyore but we send all these. patients to the ER and a lot of times. they're let go you know I can have a 18. year old girl that's shooting heroin and. smoking crack and drinking and she gets. to the ER and they say well yeah you. have a problem but drugs are your choice.
so therefore I'm going to discharge you. and the the reasoning behind that is we. have a broken system I don't know how. you fix that but so then they get to the. ER and the ER doctors know I can't force. this person to go to rehab yeah you know. that if you want to quit it has to be. your decision. um so a lot of those patients are let go. and then unfortunately we'll get a. coroner call on an OD from one of those. exact patients that we sent to the. Eeyore so you see a lot of repeat. offender a hypothetical it's repeat. offenders when these people show back up.
or repeatedly have harmed themselves. with drugs and then a lot of second. third times it's death absolutely I mean. the the. most patients I say most patients a lot. of patients have a psychiatric diagnosis. so when there's a dual diagnosis you can. put them in a rehab in a psych facility. but even that is a five to six day stay. and then they're discharged and then. they have to get home and take their. medication that was prescribed which. they don't so then they end up coming. back through their coroner's office and. going back to the ER you know some of.
these guys on drugs there was one that. really really. um. that was really hard to deal with. recently was a veteran. um I know his family they they had. played some audio recordings of this guy. just crying at night. saying he needed help but then he would. turn to meth and get high and then. refuse refuse help yeah I mean this guy. had had kills under his belt you know. and and. we don't want to label people well he's.
just a myth junkie I mean these people. all have problems and they didn't they. didn't grow up saying I want to be this. person but this one in particular you. know went to Iraq and killed some people. and now he's back and he's messed up and. he can't make the right decisions and. eventually he'll die but he has to. ultimately agree to go get help so it. it's a hard process on some yeah we lose. we lose people you know and it's tough. waiting for somebody to get well enough. or have enough of a break through their.
own Vision or perspective to see that. they need help that's the hardest thing. to try and you can't really influence. anybody you know I mean you can but it's. just. nobody wants to hear that people don't. want to hear often you need help they. this don't accept it you know or yeah. you're just drugged up sometimes. um yeah and you do interventions and. stuff and sometimes people don't want. that I tell families you know because we. have them where you know the families. will send them they'll go to a psych. unit then they'll get out and they'll.
die but either by Suicide or drug. overdose and a lot of times I'll tell. families look you have to try you have. to try you can't force your child to go. to drug rehab. a lot of people are nervous about. sending people because the sheriffs show. up and they put you in a core and they. bring you to the ER and a lot of. families just are scared to do it and I. always tell them you know we we don't. know the outcome of this but you have to. try you have to get them in front of. somebody professional and if they get. out and they keep doing the same thing.
over and over at the end of the day you. know you tried yeah. yeah man that's such a battle it's. heartbreaking to see the effects of all. that. um of all like the opioid epidemic and. just the all the fentanyl deaths but are. you noticing less of those are you. noticing no so fentanyl deaths are every. day wow every day and it's you know I go. out throughout the state or throughout. the parish and I've been giving lectures. and I'd love to do more uh on Fentanyl.
it's a hundred times stronger than. morphine or I forget the exact the exact. uh numbers on that but it's extremely. potent overall drug overdose death Rose. from 2019 to 2021 with more than 106 000. drug overdose deaths reported in 2021. um and that was during the pandemic. that's involving synthetic opioids other. than methadone primarily fentanyl. continue to rise so imagine a football. stadium that holds a hundred thousand. fans okay uh Tiger Stadium maybe almost. pretty much almost so that's how many.
people were losing a year the next time. you watch a football game in a big. Stadium just imagine that many bodies. yeah and that's the ones we know about. you know there's so many unknowns that. we don't catch yeah but we're losing. that many Americans to it and it's it's. young kids. um oh it's unbelievable the the they can. they they have pill presses now so I can. take an oxycodone. a real one and I can take a fake one and.
put it in front of a pharmacist that has. 40 50 years experience and he can't tell. me which one is real and which one is. fake wow and they do the same thing with. Xanax. um Adderall so all these things kids. take everybody has a crazy ant and. they've heard the word Xanax before so. you have a high school kid maybe the the. girls having boy troubles maybe she's on. her period and a friend says hey take a. half a Xanax it'll help you relax and. that one tablet is fatal yeah you know. and that happens because it's a pressed. pill you're saying it's a pressed pill.
right yeah and so pressed pills is where. they basically replicate it but they use. fentanyl up in there correct because it. is more powerful it's cheaper to. replicate than making the actual product. correct you can't get the actual product. so they make it look identical to the. real thing right and people don't know. if you're buying especially you're some. kid you don't know no you don't and you. know what I was told was you can bring. back you can smuggle across the border. of coffee bag a fentanyl versus you know. 20 pounds of meth and you're going to.
have a higher profit margin on that. little bag of coffee which contains. fentanyl than you would on all that meth. so the cartels are sending in loads and. loads of of Fentanyl and it's it's it's. snowballed into heroin you know so we. see when we were younger you know movie. stars did heroin yeah you know we didn't. see much of that coming up but no I. think you'd have money to do it right. now it's everywhere you know the the. some of the people you just you'd be. amazed at how many. good looking young kids do heroin but.
actually it's not heroin you know. there's one form of heroin called China. White which is a snortable formula yeah. people brag about that a lot in the. recovery meeting yeah using that yeah. you can snort it you don't have to shoot. it so what they're doing is they're. selling it but it's fentanyl fentanyl. comes in a microgram a microgram dose so. when you get a milligram dose I mean. that's just a fatal a fatal dose so. we're seeing it every day and when you. roll up on a case like that right where. are those cases at what does that look.
like what does that body look like as. you come up on it yeah so they're. normally in a natural position on the. couch or in bed. um but we know you know this person has. had repeated uh run-ins with the law a. lot of times we'll we'll see the. evidence you know they have a belt you. know they've been shooting up they have. their belt they have their syringes and. again nobody touches the body until we. get there. um and we can and I can talk to the. family and get it out of them uh.
fentanyl is the worst that we've ever. seen and now they're mixing it with. other drugs like xylazine which is a vet. drug you hear it referred to as tranq. this has created these massive ulcers on. people but they're even having to make. fentanyl stronger when someone dies on. fentanyl the the users in the area you. think they'd be scared of it like I. don't want to I don't want to get that. batch but they want it they want to know. where that person got that batch so they. can get a better buzz from it oh dude. one time I was with my dad and he um.
when he would take us to the park and he. would sleep in his car while we would. play it or whatever and uh he gave us. like a like a case of Kit Kat bars or. whatever and we were breaking them and. throwing them out to this squirrel right. and the squirrel ate a bunch of it and. died right and because I guess they. can't have chocolate or whatever but in. the distance dude you saw like 30 other. squirrels hopping over yeah and by the. end of the day bro we'd oh I have to. remember that when we squirrel hunt we.
don't oh yeah you get a KitKat I don't. know if it works with that new white. chocolate one but I know like the. original one old school one bro I mean. you could look in the distance of the. park and you just saw them all just. hopping over you know don't tell. somebody from Louisiana that Kit Kats. are gonna Skyward right and that's what. we do we squirrel hunt you know dude. you'll shoot anything if it's in a. freaking tree out there there's a parish. uh if a rope swing gets a little wild. somebody will gun it down there's a. parish in Louisiana and up until. literally a few years ago the school. board opening day squirrel season the.
school board closed down so everyone. could go in the woods on that opening. day I mean can you imagine that the. whole town is absent on opening squirrel. season yeah everybody all the men and. kids are in the woods and all the women. are in the bars that's a party you know. uh that's a party squirrels but yeah. um so the fentanyl desk has been high. that's been really really crazy it's out. of control yeah it's out of control od's. used to be you know death is seasonal we. have different deaths in different parts. of the year we know what to expect oh. really yeah so you know um winter time.
you're going to get your um you know a. lot of Naturals because the weather's. changing oh yeah you're going to get. hunting accidents you know cajun's. falling out of tree stands right. breaking their neck you know they they. you know everything imaginable in the. woods you got you got Cajuns with guns. in the woods so. um. then you get into. um the springtime weather starts getting. nice in Louisiana we don't have many. many months of nice weather so then here. comes the motorcycles so we started.
getting motorcycle deaths a lot of organ. donors right there Lots in the. springtime a buddy of mine's office is. full of motorcycle helmets and I asked. him when they're like why do you have a. motorcycle I mean literally around this. whole office and he'd run an autopsy. clinic and he said I just keep the. helmets on all the ones we do yeah so so. that's a little bit of a collector's. item he's got going yeah so those all. had living people in them that died on. Monday absolutely yeah motorcycles are. dangerous and I'd love to own one but in. Louisiana we have so many roads that. that pop out on major highways and.
you're doing 60 miles 70 miles an hour. on a motorcycle and a car pulls out. you're done right yeah you know but we. see that in the springtime summertime we. see drownings so every season brings its. own uh type of natural yeah yeah manners. of death manners of death you know the. holidays are expect the unexpected. really you get for us you get the most. brutal uh you know tear-jerking sad. cases especially around Christmas and.
New Year's uh whether it's uh like take. me through something yeah so um a family. you could you know a family dies or or. children a lot of children that. So a family that uh Mom and Dad have. three or four kids three or four kids. are killed two days before Christmas in. a car accident I mean how do you deal. with that as a parent it's hard enough. to lose one much less all but again. that's the holidays we we get these. these heart-wrenching cases I always.
tell people to expect the unexpected and. during the holiday time you really have. to be careful in Louisiana we drink 24 7. you know all day oh yeah you know it's. just it's just what we do in Louisiana. and so driving a lot of people going to. Christmas parties and events and pull. out in front of drinking and driving. there's you know there's preventable. deaths and oftentimes I'll tell friends. and family that you know if you have to. go somewhere. and it's a two-lane Highway versus a. four-lane even though it might take 15.
minutes longer to get to your. destination take that bigger Highway. where you're not one-on-one with traffic. because I'd guess that 70 of the cars. you're passing or drivers under the. influence and that's all year long I. mean you realize how close you come to. other cars when you're on a back road. you know trying to get somewhere well. especially in Louisiana bro yeah there's. no lights the roads are dark and also I. remember even back in the day man if. when you got out of work you got a. freaking beer yeah you would have you'd.
see people all the time driving home at. the stock going across the causeway or. something and they wave at you and they. show you their beer bro it was part of. it's part of the culture I don't know. about anywhere else but in Louisiana we. have places where you can pull up drive. in Windows and get Margaritas that's. just common or you could stick your head. in a stranger's house window and. they'll put a shot of brandy that's. right that's right you know if you need. it so yeah that's just Louisiana bro. it's just part of it you know I think um. so that makes Road road safety that much. more dangerous.
um take me on like has there ever has. there been a case like take me on a kind. of a heart-wrenching case. you know and I don't know I feel. horrible even saying that like but take. me on one that really took your heart. out of your body man. um well first I wanna I wanna get my. condolences to the police officers that. have been shot lately uh where I'm from. the parish that I live in Neighbors of. our parishes next to us we own. Vermillion where are you guys in St. Landry okay so Lafayette Parish. Evangeline Parish just in the last week.
they've had four three or four. incidences where officers have been shot. and killed uh so it's really sad you. know those are those are always tough uh. police officers are good guys you know. we were all scared of them when we were. younger yeah but you know when you get. to know these guys and they're they're. they're they're all great people and um. it's hard to see I had an officer uh. that was shot years ago and it was such. a surreal thing to zip up an officer in. a uniform he had the black stripe across.
his badge I guess that was around 2015. when they started doing those. um black stripes on their Badges and it. was such a surreal event uh to do but. back to uh you know those. heart-wrenching cases for me it would be. friends. family of friends yeah if you had to. roll up on somebody and then it's. somebody you know yeah that's the thing. is when I'm getting to a car accident. you know in. my hometown.
um I start seeing cars that I recognize. and as I'm walking up to that to the. wreck you know I I might see a Nissan. Altima or something oh yeah for a minute. your heart drops like oh is that so and. so. um my best friend lost his wife. unexpectedly and and uh. so they had moved in from Tennessee. and he had lost his wife unexpectedly. and that was really hard they had you. know three young children at the time. and it was hard dealing with that case a.
13 year old girl. taught me more that night than I mean. still to this day when it was right. around Christmas and I can remember. having to take them to the ER to show. them their mother and. um. it was tough she said uh Mr Toby all I. want for Christmas is my mom and you. know we we put so much effort into. Christmas and presents and holidays and. here I have this 13 year old girl it. really puts things into perspective for. you you know.
um and still to this day I do my job. because I was able to save my best. friend's Life by being able to remove. him uh when he was depressed you know. suicide is real. um and he ended up getting help and I. had to I had to help him get help but. you know I feel if I wouldn't have. reacted after that event that he may not. be with us anymore so that's that's what. keeps me going in this in this case so. there's some personal involvement there. in certain situations your ability to. you guys are like oh well if there's.
drug use here I can help send this. person or you know help commandeer them. in a direction maybe that could help. them if they're willing to go if there. is like uh if I'm associated with the. the someone who's passed and I'm. associated with a friend I can lead them. into. therapy or keep tabs on them or I've. seen enough instances right where you. you statistically know hey bud there's. probably a 50 chance you're going to. stay alive after you've lost this person. in your life you. you really need to keep tabs on yourself.
or get some help absolutely wow. absolutely. um that Tony I didn't know the corner. you know I didn't know some of the. access points that they had and some of. like the direction signs that uh that. the coroner's office can point people in. you know I don't think about that you. just think about somebody rolling up you. know and making a call you know right. you know Satan's line judge you know you. rolling up and you're just the referee. you can call them into heaven or you. call them out you know only the coroner. can arrest the sheriff and that's from.
the early on you know 1900s if not. earlier so want to share the sheriff. needs to be arrested only the coroner. can go out and do it which is. interesting. um yeah there's all kinds of things that. we do there's also sexual violence and. and when rapes are involved that goes to. the coroner's office and they do you. know we normally send people to get. raped kits done but uh domestic violence. and things like that also fall under the. corner umbrella we do a lot of things.
um and is it straight rapes or gay rapes. like do they all happen. um it would be uh. well I guess they all happen but. I don't know how to answer that one when. a woman is assaulted and it could be a. woman or man absolutely wow absolutely. we'll refer them uh you know to a to an. Eeyore where there's the appropriate. staff to do that uh yeah we're rural. we're a rural coroner's office you know. so now how can they Trump how can.
somebody trick you how do they trick the. corner say if somebody say there's a. police officer or something right say or. somebody in a town wants to trick the. corner a body is deceased uh okay and. they want to. and maybe they did it right or there's. some Espionage going on how do they. trick how do they get it past the corner. because I've heard that if you can trick. the corner sometimes you could get away. with murder. that would be a true statement but it's.
hard to trick the coroner right. um. I don't know that well if someone does. we had a case for instance where. um. the the wife shot the man and he was. laying there deceased he was a former. there was a shovel on the ground and you. know. Farmers don't put their tools up dirty. they're going to clean that shovel. before they put it up so there's a muddy. shovel laying on the side of a deceased. man. and uh the the wife said it was.
self-defense. so. when we walked up to the shovel we just. picked it up and dropped it from you. know two or three feet and all the dirt. fell off so you mean to tell me you shot. him twice he we could see that he. grabbed his wounds. and so did he lay that shovel down nice. and gently after you pumped a few in him. yeah you know or did you stage that. there so things like that you know that. always don't make sense you have to. really think about some of those things.
but we have ways we can tell if let's. say you strangled someone or used a. pillow you know there's no yeah you know. that's a that's one that's often thought. about when we're doing our assessment we. can see a thing called petechi so it's. basically retinal hemorrhaging so when. we look into the eyes we'll see little. red dots and we know that that person. was strangled or suffocated. so let's just say uh you know I kill. somebody and then I hang them well I can. tell if they if they were breathing when.
they were hung versus not and that's all. based on that retinal hemorrhaging. really yeah so so we have a lot of uh. another thing is uh lividity the liver. mortise so once if you die laying on. your back. um after a few hours your your your body. will appear red on the surface that's. laying on the ground because blood when. it stops flowing drops okay so if I walk. into a house and you're laying on your. stomach but your back is red. well somebody moved that body for sure.
you know so we can tell when people try. to you know and a lot of times it's they. rolled them over to do CPR you know most. of the time it's Innocent but there's. ways to tell so that's when the. forensics come into play you know we we. look for deception when we're talking to. people we get stories from family. members and even social media you'd be. surprised that since the uh evolution of. social media that how much that helps us. yeah I saw in that they had that case in.
South Carolina that Murdock case or. something yeah you saw that or not where. the man allegedly killed I think he was. convicted of shooting his wife and son. but they had some social media of the. kids where it was just it had been a few. minutes earlier and they could hear the. dad's voice in the background so they. determined that they had been in the. same space at the same time or something. cell phones you know Facebook you know I. have I've had a case where the guy. posted I'm sweating like a horn church. and then he's found deceased and he's.
holding his chest well that tells me he. had a heart attack after I examine him. and rule out Foul Play you know maybe. maybe an adult saying man you know. people like to say you know how bad they. feel on social media my legs killing me. today well we can tell if they threw a. blood clot by so when somebody throws a. blood clot they have this cyanotic or. bluish color from the nipple line up and. that's that tells us okay they threw a. blood clot let's throw a blood clot well. so uh basically a piece of fat.
gets clogged up in your pulmonary and. cardiovascular system and you can die I. mean there's it could happen to any one. of us at any second of the day oh God I. mean you just throw a blood clot it's. called a pulmonary embolism and what you. do right when it happens what do you do. if you want to live. you start CPR. but sometimes you can't save them I mean. most of the time it's really hard now uh. there are tests that can determine if. you're likely to have one so they start. showing blood thinners okay you know.
very common that people are on blood. thinners people with heart disease. um they'll we can manage that with blood. thinners but you can't stop them all. depending on the size of the clot yeah. it's called a DVT deep vein thrombosis. and the majority of people in Louisiana. what happens is the veins in the legs. narrow oh yeah I've seen something and. that's from anything from nicotine to. poor you know high cholesterol bad. shrimp oh yeah bad shrimp too much. Boudin cracklins you know all your.
arteries and veins get clogged up and. there's not much much room for air there. so a piece of fat breaks off and you're. out lights out damn you know we've had. people in the ER I mean I'm sorry and I. see you they're there for a blood clot. and they code and there's not much we. can do to save them but. you know we'll look at social media and. the person might say you know hey I just. recently had a surgery on my leg or my. knees been throbbing or my legs are. throbbing or my calf is you know swollen. yeah people post all kinds of things.
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spelled. b-a-b-b-e-l.com slash Theo rules and. restrictions apply. I had a corner so yeah I guess there's a. lot more to the corner than I thought. you know there's a lot of avenues going. on over there it's a lot of. Investigation yeah into very basic stuff. like home appearance body appearance you. know weight where they compliant with. their medicine did they see their doctor. um did they go to the doctor often uh. there's so many things that that we can.
tell about a uh just someone that's. deceased now what about like a suicide. like say there's like a hanging or. something you know what's that kind of. how what does a body look like I feel so. morbid asking about some of this. yeah well how much would you be. surprised what bodies look like from. certain events that's what I think I'm. Mo because in my mind I think you I. Envision walking up on a body and it's. still like oh yeah there's you know. that's Jerry right you know but would.
you even know a lot of times who the. person is absolutely you can tell who. they are things that change in their. eyes we call that fixed and dilated okay. their eyes are open and staring into. space their pupils have dilated. um so you know their their face kind of. has a different appearance or we can. tell by their eyes that they're not with. us. um. that's actually what he's looking at. there is the retinal hemorrhaging wow so. if you try to smoke uh if you try to. suffocate someone or when they hang.
they'll have those retinal hemorrhages. from from the uh from the veins in your. eyes yeah and you know you can't breathe. so it causes those hemorrhages to form. but bodies look like bodies you can tell. you know it's. suicides are tough. um. you know there's uh. they're supposed to leave the body. hanging. or in its natural state until we get. there we need to look at the ligature. marks which is actually the Rope where.
they made the knot where's it at and. then of course it bruises the body so. when you have a perfectly symmetrical. um line on their neck you can tell if. somebody maybe grabbed the wire and. choked them and used Force to do that. because it's an even line but when it's. not even and the ligature Mark is. consistent with how they were hanging. then we can tell and there's you know. either there should be petechi eyes so. we know that this person. died by hanging one of the you know and. we use humor it's it sounds bad but we.
use humor to get through some of these. cases we had a police officer interview. and he said the same thing he goes. sometimes you'll see cops standing. around laughing they have to do it you. have to because what you're dealing with. is is really hard to see so you we're. not you don't pick on the you know you. don't make jokes about the deceased yeah. per se but you know you joke with the. officers and you try to lighten the mood. some everybody can relax a little bit. more. and one thing for hangings is you always. put the rookie on the front of the body.
so when you have to cut a body down. um. you know you can't just cut them and let. them drop you want to protect their body. so you put the rookie cop in the front. and so when you cut that rope you gotta. catch it that last little bit of air. comes out of their mouth and so that's. the worst place to be standing is when. you're actually removing someone from a. rope because they exhale. it's that last yeah it's an apartment on. the front exactly and it's right and. it's rough so oh yeah that's a long one.
brother so when you say Hey you know uh. put John on the front everybody that has. experience knows that's not where you. want to be dang and who catches them you. got to catch them well the you know. everybody kind of helps who's there. whoever is around Oh I thought it was. like the bouquet at a wedding or. something yeah sometimes it is. um we rely on the fire department and. those guys do a great job we have bodies. that are you know um house fires or or. more more so. um motor vehicle accidents where the.
body's been burned beyond recognition. and they're stuck to the seat you know. we can always call out the fire. department and those guys come and you. know cut bodies out of cores and they'll. help us put them in the body bags same. as as you know decomposure you know you. get bodies that that have been in a home. with no electricity for three or four. days or weeks and the body is basically. liquefied really I mean it's like a. skeleton with like a puddle near or what. is it like is it yeah it's you know it's. it's. like really sunburned and Bloated and.
seeping fluid and um it the worst smell. you could imagine I mean everybody says. when you smell death you'll you'll know. it if you smell it again. um but you know scraping those bodies up. is tough you know and sometimes you you. know it's a large person you got to get. the fire department out recently I had. one that was up a staircase that uh like. kind of like the one you have here that. spins up and the person was 300 pounds. so we had to call in some extra muscle. to get that subject down you know so.
fire department really comes out and. helps us and how big is a body bag if. it's a body big deal I'll make big bags. yeah they make you know small medium. large and extra large you know for those. people you ever needed to you ever. needed to double bag somebody. um yeah it depends on the body bag. itself. um. we can do things to you know when it's. really messy uh suicides uh gunshots to. the Head we can wrap the heads in bags. before we put them in the body bags and.
things like that and that body bag in. some ways is a very very sacred thing. not sacred that's the wrong choice of. words but that's where all the evidence. is so if you're working a homicide when. you put that body in that body bag and. seal it only we can do that and once. it's sealed it's not allowed to be. broken until it gets to the autopsy. facility because you'll have evidence on. that body you know even the maybe the. sheets they were laying in and all that. can go into a body bag and we've had. cases where the funeral homes uh you. know for whatever reason wanted my new.
body bag so they would take the person. out of the body bag and put them in an. old one that's patched up with duct tape. and send them to autopsy and you can't. do that just to save the money because. they wanted to get yeah that's a nice. bag I'm going to keep that one and throw. them in this one you can't do that. that's that's that's really important. evidence you know so but. not you know we body bags are or an. important thing that we use sometimes. it's just to get the body out where. there's a lot of people around so we'll. put them in a body bag or on the side of.
the road we'll have them put in the body. bags but they're also uh used in the. collection of evidence and so when you. open a body bag out getting everything. in there and an officer walks through. the body bag it's like man you just walk. through my my evidence are you shocked. sometimes by like the ineptitudes. sometimes of certain newbies or just. whatever on forces yeah and you know you. learn to deal with it not people just. don't know they don't know what they. don't know agree man but I've had you. know I've had so when I see an officer. struggling in a home and the smell is.
really bad if I see you struggling I'm. gonna slow down because I can deal with. it I've I've trained myself to where the. the smells and things don't bother me. but you know I'll watch that officer. kind of eyes are getting watery their. their face is red they don't like where. they're at and I'll kind of slow my. investigation down like what's his date. of birth and oh let me go dig for that. so just as a way to kind of help them. what no I put them through it I put them. through it you know I'll slow down when. I see them struggling you're going to. make them put them on the grill a little.
yeah that's right that's right you know. do you know where his last address was. oh I just want to get out of here yeah. you know but I've had officers throw up. on bodies really right on top of the. body yeah and we're sending that to. autopsy you know so it's like you just. put all your DNA on there it's like a. baptism at Arby's baby right there. that's horrible yeah well speaking of. Orbeez we can talk about that one later. but what happened there was a death at. Arby's yeah in Lafayette oh of course. they found a lady in the cooler did they.
yeah yeah wow yeah we got the meat huh. yeah I mean poor thing though she she. was she was uh. she was stuck in there. and she got stuck on accident yeah I. think the lock. malfunctioned and they found her the. next day but that was in a small town. ooh there's a dead body in Orbeez I mean. even my brain went to oh man did. somebody put her in a freezer I'm not. thinking I'm not thinking walk-in cooler. I'm thinking small cooler here we got it. right here New Iberia uh Arby's manager. who died in the freezer.
um the family's attorney inspected the. Arby's this week and is now telling all. as part of his inspection attorney Paul. scrabanic locked himself in the Arby's. freezer to get a sense for what she went. through in her last moments the. thermometer read between negative 20 and. 30 degrees as soon as they open the door. I got a feeling that I didn't want to be. in there with the door shut. pierces your clothes you go stiff. he was in the freezer for four to five. hours is that what it says go back. schematic says oh the woman was in there.
for four to five hours. employees I was uh that they're. it's under my understanding from talking. to one of the employees that there was. that was there with her son when he. found her that she completely Frozen wow. hypothermia do you think that's a nice. way to go kind of no not at all I mean. look you you know you ever get cold I. can't imagine you know what that poor. lady had to deal with yeah. in that in that circumstance.
and her son is just white yeah it's. tough. um what does that body look like did you. roll up on it no that was in another. Parish but you know I'm I'm sure she was. cold and stiff with you know. um but pretty normal what position do. people die in a lot is there is there a. lot of you I've always fathomed that I. would be holding my crotch I know that. may sound crazy yeah but I think it's. like a protective mechanism you know. like right I think I would be like yeah.
just holding your figs and. yeah or like maybe I don't know where my. head would be but or. um you'd think you'd rather die with. your mouth closed or open what is like a. cooler not cooler but like what's like. yeah I mean we find bodies and all you. know a lot of people collapse fall face. forward a lot of people in bed I think. mouth open probably yeah. like you know then you're almost like. yeah opera singing yeah something we're. like hey bro you know we find them we.
find bodies or a lot of guys holding. their junk ah some not not all but it. happens sometimes yeah absolutely. absolutely yeah I always wonder is there. a position that's bad say I'm gonna die. right right and the only the last thing. that I can do is be helpful to. the people are going to find my body and. to the coroner's office what's the best. way for me to die to make it easier on. whoever's gonna. the best to make it easy on you guys and.
the staff well I guess uh die in a bed. you know okay that that's the easiest. way that's the best way it's clean you. have covers over you it's easy for the. family yeah families oftentimes want to. see their loved one we have to clean. them up to a degree sometimes they can't. see them you know because it's such a. morbid picture. but you know um dying in bed is very. common on your back. um one time I had a guy a guy die. standing up and I'll never forget that.
they called me out to uh an apartment. complex somewhere and so as I'm walking. into the to the scene with one of the. sheriffs a friend of mine. they're like well that's him and we're. not quite in the house yet and he said. he's standing right there and I said. what do you mean he's standing well the. guy died standing up. and I for a minute I thought they were. messing with me I'm like y'all up y'all. got to be messing with me so I even like. tapped him on the leg before I yeah you. know he had just the way he had fallen. he was standing up at a sink in his head.
just kind of landed on the he just kind. of wedged himself in and his legs were. locked and that's how we found him that. was so odd you know. that's interesting yet if he really just. kind of locked in there he's just. getting his steps in I guess. I don't know if he was brushing his. teeth or what what that was but oh I. didn't I didn't believe him I'm like. that can't be him and they were like I'm. telling you he's standing up and said. well that's that's one that's one for. the books yeah because what are the odds. that it's like when you watch those. videos of those people trying to throw a. bottle in there and make it land you.
know right right I've only had one die. standing up in 18 years oh wow so it's a. rarity that's very rare yeah in my. opinion you know now and how tough is it. like you like if there's ant do you guys. ever deal with animal Animalia death. yeah so do you guys just Corner deal. with that too or no yeah we deal with. all all deaths. now don't get me wrong we've had people. call us because they have a dead dog or. they got bit by a dog and it's like oh. you're calling the coroner's office huh. yeah go to the ER yeah call your.
neighbor and call him an yeah. you know that's what's happening but no. um animals well so if you die in a home. that's locked with animals those animals. will eat you really fast especially a. cat dogs will hold out until they they. have nothing left to eat but a cat will. remove your head in 24 hours and I'm not. talking I'm talking literally hair on. the floor no head and nibbling into. their chest even cats that were loved by. their owners or is it just cats no do.
you think we're had something with the. owner and they're and they're gonna say. this is my time yeah no they're they're. absolutely feeding on you you know I. don't care how much you love that cat. and that cat loved you he's gonna eat. you and you know sometimes we get to. cases where there's uh you can tell that. the cat or dog had been nibbling you. know it might be on the face or the. cheek or so uh the toes but then. sometimes it's unbelievable and one of. it was one of my first cases and I just. never never imagined that they could do.
that much damage smaller dogs now a lab. a lab won't a labs for some reason don't. eat their owners you know unless they're. locked in for months I guess they would. but I find it more weenie dogs small. dogs and cats cats cats don't they don't. wait you know it's like a around. a barbecue pit a Cajun I should say. around a barbecue pit they smell that. that odor and they start nibbling so. yeah yeah they want to appetizer next. time you petting your cat yeah just know.
that when you die he's gonna eat you. he's gonna pet you back with his teeth. absolutely what uh and how how soon. after we talk in 30 minutes after yeah. probably a hour or two I guess they. start nudists they start nibbling and I. love my cat you know we have cats and. dogs how could you still love your cat. knowing how they're gonna do yeah I. don't care if they eat me after I'm dead. you know that's cold as hell bro well. think about that man my buddy died bro.
we've been friends forever right he's. laying there dude and I carve a. little bit of them off yeah it's pretty. intense I make a sandwich or. something out of my boy Randall. yeah well after an hour they do it they. do it you know I'm kind of new to cats. we just got one to keep the mice down. but yeah oh you're gonna keep the mice. down or he got along he's playing the. long game though dude yeah that's when. they lay on your wrist they check in. your blood pressure dog that's what that. cat is yeah they're waiting for you. they're licking their lips wow as is the.
weenie dog but weenie dogs will do it. too yeah small dogs I find that small. dogs or they'll jump on jump up on the. lap of their owner and you know I guess. start nibbling and we'll eat the wheat. the wiener to jump too or not I've never. seen one but absolutely absolutely you. know most of the time it's uh I kind of. feel like they're nudging you to see if. you're still alive you know maybe. licking you at first and then when you. don't respond and then they just start. you know they just go after it it's.
pretty intense. and what about like a turtle if say the. body's in the wild it's in the water or. something did they eat the junk they eat. the junk off a body or not well usually. the body's covered so it's going to be. it's going to be arms oh okay so it has. clothes yeah you you you're going to. have pants on and how big was your waist. get if you get bloated say I'm like a 34. 35 inch waist how big would yeah you can. go to a 43. you know wow in the bloating. stage the body's uh my buddy Thomas I. think he's like a 43 or something they.
they you you do swell and get a lot of. Edema and then it starts to almost. liquefy we've had cases where we've had. to we have to move the body or pull that. body out and I've grabbed the leg of. somebody and when I pulled everything. came off all the skin and you put the. whole leg off yeah you know not it. didn't detach the leg but all of a. sudden no I don't think it would have. pulled the leg off but all the skin just. just you know that does happen but the. body's so frail at that point you know.
what is the do you think you have some. infatuation with death why are you able. to handle this sort of thing I couldn't. handle some of the images that we pulled. up right yeah I mean really you know. like what what makes you think you're. able to digest that visually and um. emotionally and everything and how does. it digest for you yeah you know I. started Healthcare really young in life. High School. um all my friends were taking shop and I. decided to take a nursing aid class I.
figured I'd be able to bathe the girls. well that didn't work out so well that. body shop homie I should have talking. about I should have took shop but that. would work. but always had a fascination with health. care and then I went into other things. and at one point uh cardiopulmonary. respiratory therapy so we manage life. support systems so okay so then you're. getting close to death so yeah an edge. right there RT does deals with trauma. you know where the the airway in that. regard so we're involved in in every uh. traumatic death RT when you say that.
respiratory therapist okay are always in. the ER working for major codes and core. accidents and things like that so you. were around a lot of that so yeah I mean. we've managed the life support system. sometimes we have to pull the plug or. turn the machine off and um that's what. you see you'd have to actually pull the. plug yeah well you turn them you just. turn the power off but yeah. um you'd think you'd at least pull the. plug like at least it's essentially you. do I mean you have to take the machine. out but. you know terminating life support on. somebody. um.
by the time you're at that stage they've. done brain tests to see if there's any. brain activity and these people don't. want to live on a machine you know it's. not like they're alive and talking to. you right at that stage but again we see. all you know we. we see a lot of trauma and I've always. had this uh I've always wanted to see I. wonder what paramedics and police see. um you know I wonder what what people. look like when they don't make it to the. ER. um I can remember having a uh my brother.
was in the Iraq War the first one a long. time ago and he brought back some. pictures and he had some pictures of. extremities and things and I was just. fascinated to see that I don't know why. I was born that way I just I but I was. really fascinated to see some of that. and then a la carte huh yeah and so then. later in healthcare and seeing trauma we. don't you know for someone that's not in. health care yeah it's it's hard to see. and imagine but. I don't you know I don't necessarily see.
my eyes or I'm looking at science and. Anatomy you know that's just a femur or. that's just a brain this is parts of the. anatomy that that you know we've that. we've you know studied and seen before. yeah so it's not like I'm I'm seeing you. you know I'm not seeing Theo I'm seeing. right you know I just in general brain. and knees and whatever yeah I mean. people say how can you be a coroner. because you see bad stuff well an. orthopedic surgeon will take your arm. off and they're dealing with blood and.
you know all kinds of things and they. remove your arm and then put it back on. you know so it's the same thing uh kinda. um. it's just what we see do you ever feel. like so you determine the time of death. yes wow and how do you know if you get. it right or whatever like does a buzzer. go off or something like how do you. that's actually tricky you know to the. exact time of death okay. um there are things that can be done. um you can do a a liver temperature.
um you can you know the the stage of. decomposure if there are maggots and. bugs on the body that can give you a. window of how long they've been down you. know flies lay eggs and then you can. even take the maggots and send them to a. lab and they can tell you what their age. is and that can help you determine time. of death but that that's a bit extreme. we can there's other ways you know when. was the last time you spoke to to so to. to Johnny you know when was the last. time anybody saw him.
um what were his complaints when you saw. him uh when was his last Facebook post. when was his last phone call so you can. kind of get a window into that time of. death even rigor mortis you know it. comes on and then it lets go and there. are certain time amounts on that so we. can figure out you know an approximate. time of death you know unless you're. working in the ER and they stop. breathing or the paramedics are there. because maybe they're sluggish but. they're not completely deceased. um you know that's an exact time but. other than that it's a it's a it's a yes.
based on evidence. when they called us we issue a time of. death it's when they contact us so we. get called on Johnny by a nurse in the. ER or a police officer and I immediately. look at my watch and say okay time of. death is 10 15. that's not the exact. time they died but that's when they. notified us so close enough yeah and if. you get it right do you get you know get. like a notification on your phone like. nobody no there's no reward or anything. for getting it right no I'm not no not.
now it does help the attorneys and when. there's lawsuits happening or. um you know they need to get as close to. the time of death as they can for. homicides because then it puts people in. different places you know where were you. at 10 50 you know. um. so it's that you know that's why. sometimes it's really important to know. as close as you can get to that actual. time of death. and is there like a tote you guys do. actually you always hear about toe tags. right people put a toe tag on a body is.
that true so we don't put it on the toe. but you know labeling that body is very. important if I'm going to send you to. autopsy I don't want to mix you up with. someone else or I don't want to send you. with nothing and then they you know I. always type a report on my death. everything I see I have to type and put. into a report so when that pathologist. is reading that report. I'm painting a picture for him and that. helps him in his in his autopsy in fact. I brought you one I brought you a your. own personal toe tag here now I want to.
hang that on the wall. uh gosh this is uh I can hang it on your. toe if you want but if I sitting I don't. know if my mom would be happy if I. accept this right now. oh to be determined to be determined. yeah yeah you also put that under sex. yeah so well I have you I think I have. you and Nola. that's good yeah that's where I was born. at so yeah I could see myself dying over. there bro that's a great conversation. piece you know yeah it is actually. that's not a bad dude I thank you yeah. pretty sweet of you bro dude you. speaking of New Orleans during Hurricane. Katrina did they bring in a lot of.
Corners to help out what happens when. there's a natural disaster like that. yeah we can you know uh did you get. called in I I didn't go to New Orleans. um actually I volunteered for Lafayette. because there was a lot of not coroner. but Health Care in general oh I see so. there's still yeah there's a lot of. other recurring deaths and even in the. outlier areas yeah I'm just thinking of. Katrina because it was one of the more. known hurricanes I think what else was. there Ida I'm trying to think what else. was over by you guys hurricanes yeah I'd. uh there were some in Texas if there's a. big natural disaster is it like all hand.
we need all Corners to this part of the. country does that ever happen um well. there we do have protocols you know if a. plane falls out the sky and there's you. know 100 people uh we do have protocols. we can reserve a cooler truck we can. call Walmart and say hey one of your big. you know freezer trucks can we you know. borrow one. um there's a whole team of people that. were prepared for that mass shootings. and whatnot it's important to identify. who each person is so we can contact. their families and and you know.
um. yeah we had a uh you know I've worked. with the NTSB on an airplane we had a. little little it wasn't a lot of bodies. but what is NTSB so that's the the. that's the uh when a plane goes down. it's the federal agency that. investigates plane accidents okay and. that one wasn't unique because we had a. little small Cessna that fell out the. sky and um you know those guys come in. and do their own autopsy and it's. amazing from just wing damage of the. plane they can tell you exactly where.
that plane was going and what direction. to try to figure out what went wrong. with that plane have you rolled up on a. plane crash before so I I was called to. one yeah and what was that that had to. be from your own perspective probably. interesting because that's not a common. thing yeah it was it was interesting to. say the least it was you know two guys. and it was actually a tough experience. because somebody was flying over. in in a in another plane and had taken a. picture of that and posted it and then. they took it down so when something.
happens in a small town everyone starts. talking hey I heard there was a airplane. accident or a motorcycle accident where. everybody thinks of their loved ones and. in this case family was reaching out. yeah to the deceased and it's hard to. watch that phone ring and just stare at. it and know that you know this person. you know is trying to get a hold of. their loved one that one that that can. be tough. um. to see and you know you just know that. that mother a father is trying to get a. hold of their son so that probably.
happens often then you're at a crash. site and there's a ringing phone right. or any yeah any site you know our news. spreads fast you know yeah I think. Johnny OD'd within Johnny's phone just. starts blowing up you know people are. trying to call him I mean I lost my best. friend and um we didn't have phones back. then but trying to contact them so. that's very common that phones will just. ring and ring and you don't you don't. want to make that notification over the. phone you don't no you want to send an. officer out there or sometimes we'll go. with them but you will yeah we we don't.
have to but I've done several. ride-alongs it's not a not an easy thing. to do. um. you know when we when we go out to a. scene we're often forgot and we're the. the last responder right when we go out. and and your loved one is deceased. whether it's sudden or natural families. are in a different mindset uh they you. know rarely remember us you know from. that that case and I always give people. my personal cell it's like look you're. going to have questions later oh you.
know call me I'm gonna you know I'll sit. with your family and tell you exactly. what went on have you ever had someone. try to call you and like just like lost. and like trying to like get you to bring. their loved one back to life like if you. ever had any. um no but I've had them I've had people. look you know maybe you didn't look at. this one right or not believe the cause. of death and I can't share all that. information you know I can't share. everything that I see and find. um with the public so I'm a hundred.
percent right but some people maybe it's. a suicide and they don't believe that. this person would have done that and. they're you know did you did you. investigate for a homicide and it's like. well believe you me that's the first. thing I do you know. um so we do get those calls from time to. time. um the hardest part and we were talking. about suicides earlier you know the. blood and guts don't bother me. um. but when for me anyway when I read a. suicide note that's what sticks with me.
I can remember everyone I wrote I've. read for some reason it's personal at. that point not hey I'll be in the barn. come find me in the barn you know maybe. a child emails their suicide report uh. note to their family and can you imagine. and and or just a long letter it makes. it more personal and that sticks with me. longer than anything else and what is. what are those entail a lot of times if. you're looking through them notes what. are they putting in there. well you know don't blame yourself kind.
of thing. um I'll always be an angel on your on. your shoulder and just your real. personal things you know I didn't do. this because of you or you know it's. it's. for some reason that sticks in my brain. more than than the actual scene. um. yeah it's just hard to deal with. sometimes you know that that changes the. the mood if you will. has there been a debt that was really. just blew your mind and how tough it was. to deal with that's something that maybe. it attached to something you had.
personally in your life or an experience. to help you learn about yourself yeah. that's the that you know those are when. you'd ask me about personal ones I guess. when I see. um you know I have children and when. maybe like not that long ago I had a a. 22 year old lose his dad and to watch. that 22 year old walk up to his father. in an ER you know I could imagine my. children coming to see me and and it you. know those hurt same as with babies and. you know uh all those things are hard to.
see they really take a toll on us and. you know there is no out for us we have. to deal with it best we can. um they're not always easy you know my. Escape is music I listen to music on the. way there and I'll listen to music on. the way back and it's on the way home. and it's two different types of music. depending on what I've seen but we all. need that escape. uh yeah like what will you put on like. some Creedence Clearwater or what were. you like what kind of tunes are you. talking about or just something like a. like a Mozart or what are we yeah no I.
mean my music my music taster all over. the map but you know um heading out to. scenes I'm I'm jamming to some Alice in. Chains or some Metallica And I'm just. getting in there. yeah yeah. I'd like to uh yeah I'm rocking but you. know when I'm leaving I'll go mellow. I'll go I'll go from you know maybe some. Counting Crows to some sometimes uh even. black gospel music I mean my brain just. goes to you know depends on the case and.
the uh and what I see but yeah music's. gonna Escape for me you know it gets me. out of that. you know I don't do it I don't do this. full-time we all have other jobs we're. very uh or we're paid off of the budgets. and we don't have much I mean I I. literally when I go out and draw blood. on the weekends or or I virtual fluid. when I get home I throw it in my fridge. at home and the butter and the butter. dish you know my kids know hey Dad and I. found my little boy hey my dad has dead. people's blood in there yeah you know we.
we we work around our jobs oh damn. that's Satan's condiment right there boy. damn that's a blast so I mean we we. really serves bro we're really on our. own yeah my kids are desensitized you. know they back in the the early Windows. 98 when you could set your screensaver. to to just roll through your pictures on. your computers every once in a while one. would get away from me and it would just. be this really this gory picture and I'd. have to take it down but uh. you know I've. you know yeah my kids are just.
desensitized to say the least but they. hear me telling stories about what I'm. working with yeah and so they know how. dangerous drugs are they know. um one thing you know I wanted to talk. about preventable deaths and deaths that. we see too often yeah that's a great. question like if you were a parent if. you were or just a human being you know. you mentioned earlier like the holidays. is kind of a time where you need to be a. little bit more cognizant because things. happen then you know things happen fast. um yeah not to take a two-lane Highway.
if you can to four lane it's so funny. after living in a bigger city and you. get back to a smaller place two lane. roads like highways seem so dangerous. it's crazy to think that both of us are. going to pass each other safely with all. the common accoutrements they have. people having cell phones whistles you. know perversion toys or whatever and. some two people are going to go buy each. other at 70 miles an hour safe yeah. those people those people are on. Fentanyl and heroin and Coke and and. mushrooms and you name it and they're.
they're five inches from you or your. children or your family you know it's uh. you really see things so for me uh ATVs. and four wheelers scare me yeah. um I've had even seasoned farmers will. die on four wheelers and it's kind of a. thing kids love to ride four-wheelers. and they're just so dangerous if they. flip on you you're gonna break they're. gonna break your neck yeah great. possibility of that the same with uh you. hear of Polaris rain dangers and and. other utvs a four-wheel golf cart like.
four-wheel drive things people don't. consider the flip ratios on those things. and I've had you know several cases. where three or four children die on them. you know you may go to Tractor Supply. and get a get a cheaper you know eight. thousand dollars for a you know for a. four by four that you four wheels and. people think well that's safer but the. flip ratios are terrible on those. cheaper ones yeah and they flip when. kids are just riding them in the yard. you know so that's my big thing as four.
wheelers I'm scared to death I've always. have been to let my kids ride them just. because of what I see. yeah well I think look you're the guy. who knows you're the guy who's standing. at the finish line and seeing who's craw. who's finishing early yeah and what the. causes of those finishes are yeah and if. you say that it's motorcycles if you say. that it's four-wheelers then that's what. it is you know that's some of the risk. of things. um yeah don't ride a horse if you don't. know how to ride horses Mardi Gras is a. big deal a bunch of people in Louisiana.
everybody gets drunk and rides horses. yeah I mean horse throws you off you hit. your head you're done you're drunk on a. trailer you fall off that trailer it. runs over you you're gone I mean we see. Mardi Gras is an interesting time yeah I. literally throw a pillow in the back of. my car because I might be on the road. all night you know we see a lot of motor. vehicle accidents you know and drunk. driving drunk driving you know hold my. beer and watch this kind of deaths you. know where I've had guys trying to jump. other cars and you know Duallys wrapped.
in trees 15 feet above above the cement. that that were reduced to the size of a. uh very small core yeah Kia Sophia yeah. so you know Mardi Gras is a interesting. time to say the least uh a lot of. accidents you know obviously you get. brought on all kind of calls and having. a certain level of Hume like um. trying to be keep things humorous if you. can right you know right are there ways. you do that at crime scenes are there. crimes where you've just been like you.
guys can't help but laugh at the uh just. the fact that it even happened the. circumstances surrounding yeah. um well one I had it wasn't really a. corner skull but I was called out to uh. death. by a city police officer so I get there. and you know when I again we're in a. parish of 80 000 a lot of people know me. they know what I drive you know I can't. go to a friend's house and have a cup of. coffee without my phone ringing hey did. so and so die I'm like no I'm just. hanging out you know. still alive and well.
um but I got called one time and the guy. was still alive they were doing CPR and. he had a heartbeat so I walked as I'm. walking up to the house I see the. families I see their posture change like. you know oh the corners here it's. not good and you know so I walk in and. the paramedic says we got a heart rate. and I'm like. he's not dead yet. who called me so I immediately walk out. and I wave at the family and that guy's.
still alive today and you can imagine. them saying you were so sick wow the. coroner came. you know. um those are you know we see crazy. things uh one lady was told to put jelly. she had a really bad infection she was. putting jelly between her legs okay. somebody said put some jelly on it well. she was right what you mean like uh. Smuckers or something well that's what. she was using Okay normally it would be. more of a KY Jelly or something for that.
and they her legs were purple and it was. like what what's going on here and her. her neighbor said you know well she was. putting jelly on it and it's like wait. what you were using the smoker that's. the wrong kind of jelly but you know. we've seen wedding rings around penises. it's like man how'd you even get that on. there yeah just wow that must have been. that's a big promise yeah yeah huge. um you know we see bizarre things like. that that people do auto-erotic deaths. or actually very dangerous we we. actually get a not a lot but enough of.
them and that's where people are. pleasuring themselves and also hang. themselves yeah they they're starving. their body of oxygen okay and. doing that you need a spotter because. it's so common for people to die yeah. when they're doing that so uh well. if you got a spotter you don't even need. to do it usually well it depends but. yeah I guess yeah people's into. different stuff and people are artistic. people you know bad things can happen in. that regard. um. just bizarre bizarre things now uh back.
to the we were talking about animals I. had a call from police and they weren't. sure they didn't see a gun but it. appeared that someone had there was Foul. Play based on the the face and of the. decedent okay and that was just rodents. you know that had gotten yeah so it. looked you know suspicious of a homicide. you know so I don't know if rats get in. there that's right so we can get out. there and say no no this is you know. we'll we'll still send an autopsy to be.
sure in some in some cases but don't. make a cheese out of anything huh that's. right post-mortadella that's right. that's right. um I'm fascinated by that cat that took. somebody's head off they'll take. somebody's head off huh yeah completely. completely and where do they hide it. somewhere oh they eat it oh my God no. I'm even bone I mean they eat bone. there's no skull left it's gone it's a. wig on the ground next to a body. um and you can imagine and and down into. the chest I could see their left main. stem from their lung and it's just. amazing how fast the cat can eat you so.
you know have a dog door have a cat door. not a bad investment let them leave huh. you know they can get in and out the. house uh as needed yeah we had a lady. that had a cat or a uh she had a panther. living in her house and she didn't even. know this old lady. and it killed someone like a panther. yeah like a real panther yeah she didn't. know she thought it was like a rescue. cat or whatever and it killed someone at. a. surprise party wow imagine that.
dogs I've had dog accidents you know I. love pit bulls they're gorgeous. Dobermans. beautiful animals but I've seen people. that they've just reacted and grabbed. their neck and killed them you know. those animals can be great and they can. be dangerous you know what about some. unique animal deaths you ever rolled up. because Louisiana bro you know what I'm. saying anything people some people you. know you know that other than you know. having a good pet having a pit bull as a.
pet and it biting the owner and getting. them in the right spot you know that. little alligators no no alligators not. yet now now bodies that have been chewed. on by Turtles and possums and other. animals when they're dumped into the. water that's uh that's hard you know. that's tough. but again that's you know not a whole. lot of animal deaths now riding horses. and not knowing how to ride like I had. mentioned horses can really mess you up. you know if you don't know what you're. doing it's a big animal oh yeah.
um at Mardi Gras once I saw two horses. making love when the cops were still in. their back oh wow yeah well we see that. yeah and that's you know somebody joins. the Mardi Gras ride with a horse that. hasn't been fixed a stud and they'll. climb the back you know yeah yeah and. you know that's oh that's harrowing as a. kid seeing your stepdad you know yeah. getting overtaken by some animal Yeah. well yeah that's a that's a thing um and. other crazy cases or anal insertions.
it's like what people and what are. people doing it for for pleasure oh okay. you know we would see that a lot in the. Eeyore but I had a case where the guy. obviously didn't want to go to the ER. and so he'd Had A Hammer and was using. the backside of a hammer to put in his. buttocks right right and that can. perforate your colon and then you get. really septic yeah so you know things. like that. um damn that was you know another. interesting case would be um huffing.
where people use keyboard cleaner to get. high and those deaths occur in parking. lots of stores. most frequently you're going to find a. hover in the parking lot at Walmart oh. because they get out and and. so I had one guy actually a veteran and. that's how he would stop his nightmares. it was the only thing that worked and so. law enforcement's on scene and they're. like we can't find any drugs but there's. air cans everywhere you know and that's. dangerous the worst is when you think.
you're doing like huffing like one of. those things and you actually get one of. those horns yeah I can imagine that's a. wake-up call. that's the Lord trying to say Hey look. it's time to stop yeah I'm gonna rescue. you real quick daddy you know that's the. worst man the um the synthetic drugs. that you see so go next time you're in a. gas station just look around you know. they sell Kratom they sell uh oh yeah. all sorts of stuff my nephew Zaza so. Zaza is words or something what the.
look up gas station dope or whatever gas. station heroin yeah. he was on. so there's Kratom and you know there's. [Music]. um. the worst one that I'm seeing now is. well that that's still for sale is. tneptine CNN right that's that's ZaZa. so what that is it's an antidepressant. it's actually a tricyclic antidepressant. that.
tags to the MU receptor which is your. opioid receptor so supposedly if you. take one it gives you that opioid. feeling. but you're taking an antidepressant on. and off and in large amounts and that's. very dangerous yeah and and once so I. mean you can take commonly prescribed. Lexapro for a week or two and when you. try to stop you start having these you. start detoxing on this medication so. people that get on that stuff can't come. off it's actually when I was reading on. it it's worse than heroin the.
withdrawals from that stuff and speaking. of gas station owners they said people. come in here every day they scrounge up. 30 bucks to buy a bottle of this stuff. and they do it every day every day and. kids can buy this kind of stuff they can. go to a gas station and buy some. you know that you don't really. know what it is. when when the the synthetic bath salts. and the synthetic marijuana came around. yeah at first it was a synthetic. marijuana and we didn't really get any.
uh there wasn't anything bad happening. but then they outlawed it and then it. came back and that's when it got really. bad uh that's when people and I'd never. seen this but people were chewing other. people's faces off and it it it it. completely changes their their. Psychopathology they just go crazy on it. um and these companies they keep making. them illegal but they keep adding a. different chemical to it so they can. sell it again and this was this was. really we would you know we bad batches.
there's never a good batch but we could. tell when there were bad batches because. of the psych units yeah we would get a. lot of people that needed help being. because the bad batches of these guys uh. like weed over those yeah fake marijuana. or bath salts and we'd get calls where. you know Jimmy's in his underwear. holding a crawfish don't talking to God. in the middle of a street and he was on. that stuff I had one guy that was doing. 60 miles an hour and jumped out his. truck while driving oh and that's what. he was on you hear of like a Red Rover.
with somebody probably yeah well no I. don't know what the voices in his head. were telling him but he bailed on that. truck. um yeah it's dark the things that can. happen man and so. um is there moments where like so say if. you are because you're kind of like you. determine if people are dead or not. right yeah well yeah they're dead I mean. yeah have you ever had somebody and. they're not dead yeah that's well in. that one regard where they still had a. heartbeat but okay but yeah no it's. never uh or they did I mean even the law.
enforcement and people can tell you know. when someone's not breathing you never. showed up and be like this guy ain't. even this guy ain't dead no okay no not. yet. not yet if you ever like put somebody in. a body bag and you low-key had like some. like you didn't like that person and you. were like not like you were personally. like I'm glad they're dead but there was. a little party like a because we all. have kind of Twisted parts of our souls. yeah that felt a little bit of joy you. think no no I uh I've never had that.
happen even even the biggest enemies. um you know I don't you know they died. their family's gonna be upset it's uh. yeah you know. yeah but I hear you I guess the right. person hasn't died yet right maybe one. day but yeah because I think of myself. as a loving person but I can't you know. we all have we're all very complex. individuals and and uncomplex and so I. think it I'm just wondering if part of. me if I ever put you know. did the just put that zipper up on.
somebody if I'd be like yep you know got. him you know or something like that yeah. not yet not yet we try to be as. compassionate as we can and you know. that there's family and children. involved and it's it's tough do you get. invited to a lot of the service and. stuff do you have to go to that thing. are you guys required to go to any. funerals only no not really only for. friends. um really friends and and and maybe. there's a few cases that were just. really hard where the family was. struggling and I'll go in there and give.
them a hug. um you know covid was a thing and uh. covet was was really rough really my. opinion on covid. from what I dealt with uh when it. started you know we like I said death is. seasonal and. March April May it eases up that's our. slow time uh we don't get as many deaths. now. you know ODS and suicides and homicides.
or 24 7 now I mean that happens every. day but the the the end of spring early. summer is when we don't get as many. calls and I can remember training. somebody and she would say when am I. going to get something good when am I. going to get something good and I kept. saying just be patient just be patient. you know it's like bass fishing you. might have just some normal everyday. stuff and then boom you get a big one. yeah well I used to work fast food too. and I remember everybody wants to do the. fries or something like the first day. you're there right you know well it's. like dude you can't just do that covet.
came. and you know we had heard rumors that. there was this virus and we went my wife. and I went to Colorado and we were aware. but it it wasn't out the box yet and. then shortly after we got home. we just started getting phone calls and. phone calls and phone calls I mean I. still have PTSD from talking on the. phone you know in healthcare we didn't. know what was going on people were dying. left and right I'm talking I would have.
one Hospital on the phone and I'd have. to say can you please hold and I would. answer the other one I'd have three. calls coming in every hour and that. stayed constant for you know three or. four months just the amount of deaths we. had now Louisiana we have a lot of. unhealthy people oh yeah in general and. when you know covid was the same same. thing every time it was. before the nurse would tell me I'm like. well wait let me guess the patient came. into the ER wasn't breathing you know.
put him on a CPAP y'all ventilated him a. while they failed that y'all put them on. a ventilator and the family withdrew. care am I right and they were like yep. you got it it was the same manner of. death every time and it was rampant we. didn't stop now some people saying I. don't believe covid and you're you're. pronounced you're pronouncing these. people and blaming it on covid sure they. had diabetes they were obese they had. all kinds of problems but the volume of. deaths that took off at that time was.
unbelievable and it was a lot of my it. made it awkward for my a lot of people I. know my friends I've lost friends to. that uh friends parents you know it was. just it made it awkward I'd go hang out. with my buddy and he knows you know he. knew that I pronounced his father and. there was a lot of that going on during. covid you know people ever get mad at. you for pronouncing their family. deceased no no no but it just kind of. makes a little blame it on you huh no it. but it it does it made it awkward you.
know and so when you look back at that. time right because there was tons of. things being said about covid right. right especially you know things like um. oh it's not real right right so you. would dispute that totally absolutely. there's no doubt something came along. yeah I've been up for four days. answering the phone I mean I went. through I saved them I went through five. five subject notebooks in a month you. know it would it was overwhelming did. you think that the like the manner of.
like treatment like because a lot then. there was a lot of rumors like oh people. put people on ventilators they shouldn't. have that's what killed them do you. think that there could have been some. and we don't know you know I don't know. a lot of this stuff right you may have. more insight than I do do you think that. as people as the medical professional is. figuring out how to best handle people. that they that that could have. contributed to more deaths I think we. found better ways to treat them and make. them manageable. um you know steroids were the first. thing that popped into all of our heads.
because they couldn't breathe we need to. shrink that soft tissue and give them. steroids later they said you know lay in. prone or on your stomach made it easier. to breathe. um ventilators at coming from. respiratory therapy uh when the lungs. get stiff you have to go to a pressure. ventilation and it's actually called. ards ards and it's a it's a acute. respiratory uh failure in adults where. their lungs actually become stiff so. when we're ventilating someone we're. using a volume based uh air to open and.
close their lungs but when they had. covid their lungs would stiffen up. and the only way to to truly ventilate. them to get their CO2 down was to jack. up that vent on pressure support on a. pressure ventilation that is if you're. sending in a pretty uh what a what a. pretty high PSI you mean yeah we yeah we. we were ventilating them with air. pressure instead of just that volume. flow based and we had to that was the. only way you could get their lungs to.
open and close and then eventually they. wouldn't it would stiffen up so when. people were saying Cove is not real and. you know it was you know I knew the. treatment and I knew what was going on. and we've never had a stretch where. everybody needed pressure ventilation. right it was like what is going on with. this and that's what happened with. everybody we just couldn't ventilate. them sure diabetes played a factor sure. congestive heart failure played a factor. you know we didn't get many young. healthy people that died of covid yeah.
but the the the rate and the amount was. overwhelming so I knew it was real and. it was scared yeah you got to understand. that. again I told you I had a candle off in a. badge as as Gear Well the police. departments and and even us we didn't. have much PPE at the time so I would be. on scene and you know uh pronouncing. someone with covid and I'm looking. around and the cops had homemade masks. you know yeah talking Tampa I mean maxi.
pads and panties stretch over their ears. to block their Airway some guy's wearing. yeah like a Halloween costume yeah and I. you know I can remember one time where. on a scene and you know when you find a. large amount of money on a scene and. you're in that moment and you you open a. duffel bag and there's you know eighty. thousand dollars you it's just human. nature to do you know wow you stare at. it a minute not that you would take it. it's just interesting but you deserve. ten percent of this yeah. that's my tip that's that tariff bruh.
but so one time you know we this guy was. he came in he worked in a offshore or. something and you know when we trying to. figure out why this 50 year old guy or. 40 year old guy is dead opened his bag. and uh you know sometimes we'll find. drugs and other things but in his bag he. had some true 3M uh masks and I can. remember that and we were all just. salivating over like wow you know he'd. probably taken him from offshore but we.
didn't even have wow that protective. gear and just to see him with a case of. those it would be like man I would love. a box of those right about now it was. scary yeah you know because we didn't. know what covet was and what it could. cause and family and children and. getting home I'd sit outside every night. and. watch TV and stay away from my family. because we were so exposed to that you. know. um vaccinations that's a whole nother. story but you know the I took one. because I was just seeing too many. deaths. um yeah I can imagine from your.
perspective that had to be crazy yeah it. was like here's this new thing we don't. know what's going on a lot of people are. saying that it doesn't exist a lot of. people are saying that it's. um you know that it's man-made a lot of. people are saying these things that like. whatever methods we're using to uh treat. people or what's killing them you know. um. yeah there were people on social media. friends of ours that were going out of. their way to tell people that it was all. a bunch of then you know don't. wear a mask and don't do this and and.
here I'm sitting with compositions in. every part of the house with deaths and. I'm thinking why are you going out your. way to tell people this isn't real or. it's a political hoax or what you know. just it was tough yeah. come follow me around and let me show. you how real this is you know it was It. was a people had their own opinions. about it so I I never got involved into. the you know who says here yeah I just. well I think at first I didn't know if.
it was real I don't know I've always. been super untrustworthy of a lot of. stuff so but. um but also I never got different. people's experiences are different too. some people never got sick so they never. had any you know and then they never. knew anybody that got sick right so then. to some people it's like what is even. going on you know and that's their. reality you know. um so and you can't blame them right. yeah that's what I'm saying you can't. blame some people you can't blame their. reality I think some because that's. their truth how could they know anything.
else right but then I think there was a. lot of uncertainty. um and also just people not trusting the. news anymore there used to be a time. where you trusted the news right. absolutely you felt like it was genuine. it at least had some semblance of the. best interest for Humanity and that was. kind of eroding right then right so I. think at that point when both those. things happen at the same time you know. a lot of conspiracy theories are or. sometimes what can later be seen as. truthful you know a lot of stuff that. was conspiracy then now people are.
saying it was correct so it's just you. know a lot of that's kind of um. absolutely. were alternate ways to treat yourself. Joe Rogan was you know right about some. of the medications and therapies he. encouraged as well as uh talking about. obese versus healthy people and all that. was spot on yeah you know. um but it was tough to witness and see. and pronounce a lot of friends and I. knew it was real right especially right. where you are I mean you standing right. there at the Finish Line dude absolutely.
do you ever feel like you were like. when people died does it feel like. they're going somewhere else do you feel. like do you think like all right this. person's going to heaven or this. person's going to hell or do you ever. have any little thoughts like that or. um yeah I have opinions you know on some. people that I that I might know but me. too I don't say nothing but me too yeah. um no I'm not you know. you know they're in a better place.
um I often think you know God's gonna be. hard to to lose my father or or my wife. um and then I I witnessed my. father-in-law die of cancer and he was. struggling there at the end and uh to. know that he was no longer struggling. and when he finally passed there was a. there was a peace you know so I think. you can I can accept that in some. regards later in life because you know. you see you see the the the really bad. deaths and you see people that struggle.
and sometimes it's you know I'm glad. they were God took them uh you know from. away from this pain and suffering so. yeah. yeah do you feel like um do you ever. feel like people are go like do you get. any insight I guess into just being. around death so much right because a lot. of us aren't around it right we can't. even go you know we people want to find. a dead body they can't you know people. are but you get to be around it kind of. do you ever feel like. that people are like do you ever get any.
insight if people are leaving to a. better place or if they're like do you. feel anything like that do you think you. get any more insight than just the. regular person sitting around wondering. what the afterlife is like or anything. no. um but in those instances I'm I'm so. overwhelmed with evidence and and. looking at things that I'm not really. again when I see someone that was. suffering or maybe they're 80 pounds and. they were once 200 pounds I'm I'm you.
know somewhat relieved that they're gone. but uh as far as for. the afterlife I you know I know in my. faith that you know they're they're. going to a better place. so. um. but I have you know back to your. question I've you know I guess I've. joked and said well this guy's going. straight to hell yeah you know. sometimes you gotta but yeah he's going. straight down yeah but again that's just. personal joking stuff like that yeah.
um you know um. so crystal meth came and that drug is is. really rough on people it turns people. into monsters really really does these. people I mean they just turn into demons. they do things that most normal people. wouldn't do but it's interesting when I. have someone that abuses meth and I go. into their home. because these people are up all night. fidgeting they can't sit still. electrical yeah yeah they do electrical. sometimes they want to I've had people.
take electrical wires and try to create. things and they shock themselves. um but what's interesting sometimes is. the things they make like drone. deflectors I went into a house once and. they had all these weird things hanging. and I actually went home and built one. just as a memorabilia but. um you'll take they'll take a electrical. cord or rope and then they'll they'll. sew or wrap a barbecue spatula on the. end of it it makes no sense but they. would put them in all the corners of.
their houses and I'd ask families like. hey what's that what's going on with all. this and dream catcher to Arby's yeah. yeah and it's like hey that's drone. that's that that's what he said. deflected the drones you know so it's. kind of kind of cool like oh man you. know the paranoia would set in and. it's interesting you know it's sad and. it's terrible and and all of the above. but it was interesting to see some of. that it is some of the creativity. there's a lot of like odd creativity in. myth you can tell when you go into a. house when there's calculators taken. apart and just things that you know are.
disassembled everywhere you know that. okay this person was was on some type of. amphetamine. you ever had to go. um you ever found somebody hiding. somewhere real neat like or somebody. died during hide and go seek or. something uh yeah well you know there. was a guy under a house once you know. and uh you know no clothes on. I wouldn't like that part yeah naked. under a house. eating popsicles oh yeah yeah I mean. that you know that's uh that's different.
yeah yeah that's a different way to do. it PCP you know oh yeah makes you makes. you a bit crazy uh. but you know truck drivers we get truck. driver deaths a lot they're from out of. state why why do you get truck driver to. death a lot well not a lot but we get. them we have truck stops and a lot of. times they'll pull over and look truck. drivers aren't healthy I mean they're. big guys because they drive all day long. yeah and uh you know sometimes I'll I'll. get called out and I'll be in somebody's. truck I've never been in a truck.
driver's truck before until I started. doing this and I'm looking at how they. live and. um. you know they they notify their parents. by their family by phone and so the you. know maybe the wife's flying in to get. his personal belongings and the truck's. full of condoms and it's like oh man I. don't want this wife coming into his. truck so you know hey can we throw this. stuff out you know before the wife gets. there yeah give him up give him a little. disrespective we'll do I don't want the. Family's last thoughts to yeah you know. so there are there are uh different.
cases and different positions that we're. in for sure. um it's it's just it's an interesting. job and you know. um I'm very sympathetic and. compassionate when I'm you know we we. all get faster as we work we get faster. at things we do you know we learn how to. do them faster and um every once in a. while I have to stop and remind myself. to slow down and to make eye contact. with that family and and to be really. compassionate you know yeah.
um yeah that's the nature of everything. I think once you get in the flow of. something too much you know yeah you do. it too fast yeah and you don't stop to. you know maybe spend that extra time. with them to reassure them that you know. that their family's taken care of so. yeah. things like that yeah I mean it's easy. to even joke about you know from being. removed from it you know it's like it's. easy sometimes to try and make levity of. some of the situation you know. um. what are there things you that you guys.
have done like in the moment or things. ever that happened you try to keep some. levity in the situation because yeah the. only opposite to such a dark moment is. some levity you know. we'll tease the officers. joke around with the officers on scene. not so much the person playing there but. um you try to pick up their spirits. you know um. in all sorts of ways you know sometimes. you can ask them to to hold something. and they think they're actually doing. something that needs to be done and.
they're just holding a needle and you. know an hour later they're still. standing there holding that needle and. it's like you can let that go now you. know. um but yeah we you know you you have to. have a a bit of humor otherwise it'll. eat you up yeah you know you know what's. sad is uh for folks like us uh you know. we're underfunded we we use our own. cores and you know the things we do wow. um we don't have protective gear so when. I go out we recently just got some but.
when I go out to say a homicide which is. we're seeing so many of those now yeah. um African-American kids are done by gun. violence and Caucasian kids are dying. from drug overdoses and it's. overwhelming but when we get called out. to a homicide a shooting you know and in. one of the cities close to us they're. rated the number one uh. dangerous place to live in Louisiana per. capita for the homicides and in within. my parish and so it might be three.
o'clock in the morning and I go out to a. shooting. and I'm walking up to that scene well by. the time I get there again last. responder right so I get there by the. time I get there everybody in the. neighborhood and family and friends are. all on scene so I'm parking three blocks. four blocks deep. and having to walk through a crowd of. people that I don't know that are upset. angry hi you name it yeah and I have to. go to find that body in the police. officers and it can get hairy you know. and I'm in Scrubs you know I'm not.
I'm not dressed in a bulletproof vest or. anything I've been on scene where shots. were fired it was a block away but you. know when you're in scrubs and shots are. fired you know it's pretty tough yeah. um yeah because somebody's already dead. yeah I'm gonna start saying that hey so. you know yeah well there was a case in. North Louisiana where the guy had uh was. shot and the paramedics were working on. him a friend of mine was actually on on. this scene and so they're working on him. and a guy walks up and says hey man is.
he going to make it and the paramedic. said yeah I think he's going to pull. through and the guy shoots him right. there boom boom boom puts three more. rounds in him you know so scene control. can be tough when there's you know two. officers and 300 people. um yeah just recently and and again my. condolences go out to this this officer. who was just killed in in another Parish. next door to us I mean great guy really.
good guy and um there wasn't many people. there for scene control and one of my. friends was showed up as a marshal and. the whole crowd was telling him it's. about time when he all died you know and. and just saying things that you know you. all need to die and you know you have. guns but we have bigger guns when you're. by yourself. you know at 10 o'clock at night with 300. people. cussing at you I mean that's that's. that's hard that's hard for those. officers yeah they don't get paid enough. to no and and they don't they don't at.
all they really don't nobody would and a. lot of these young officers haven't been. through health care and they see things. that I see we see them more frequently. but still those young officers that are. 22 23 they're looking at things that. they've never seen before you know and. like you mean victims and stuff like. that yeah well every death that I see. you know decomposed bodies yeah you name. it children and babies and. it's uh it's tough for those guys and.
I have a Partners in a company where we. do psychological evaluations for law. enforcement oh that's wonderful yeah so. we have a team of psychologists that. review they take them through different. tests and instruments and and determine. if they're suitable for law enforcement. and uh right now the only people that. are that are applying for law. enforcement are high risk and that's. what makes it tough for uh City police. you know you got to hire somebody who. was shoplifting two months ago right you. know so they're not getting a good batch.
of officers right now and cops in. general have been put down. uh you know the whole defund the police. oh yeah all that stuff's ridiculous so. it's it's uh yeah and you have people. moving out of cities there's just so. much there's so much crime in a lot of. cities you know I was just in Memphis uh. the other day and it's beautiful great. city right gets really dangerous you. know there's a lot of like. there's a lot of shootings a lot of. black crime too you know unfortunately. like when I was growing up two of my.
best friends my black friends got killed. by other young black men you know I I. think it's just a bummer some of that. happens because it makes it scary to. live in certain places very you know and. then it's like if you want to move away. from places like that people say oh well. it's like white flight or you're right. or it's a racial issue but it's like. it's just fear it's like you just want. to be safe it's you know it's I don't. know and this look there's all types of. violence but well it's sad to see a lot. of that a lot of these kids are uh 14.
and 15 years old and they you know. trading video games and hey I'll buy. that game from you okay I'll meet you. and then hand on the video game up and. shoots them yeah so they're not it's not. all drug related deaths some of it's. over you know you called me out on. Facebook and they kill them I mean I. don't understand that they're they're. not scared to go to jail right or prison. and they and they do when they're eight. team they get let go uh to some degree. but it's just it's an overwhelming.
amount of young healthy kids dying on. both sides I mean again the the drug. abuse is rampant and the homicides are. happening are rampant so if you're. noticing more in White Community it's. drug overdose yeah absolutely and in. black community it's more gun violence. absolutely it's. man it's scary to see. you know. the disregard for Life yeah you know and. The Accidental ODS and I can't stress. enough that you know the synthetic drugs.
that are being sold in stores are. dangerous you know it throws these kids. into seizures but they're being sold in. stores absolutely you can go Oh you mean. like at the gas station. crack gas crack all that kind of. PlayStation heroin was Mitch yeah it's. called at all or you know and kids go. buy this and it you know that might not. kill them but they have seizures that. get that's what kills them is they'll. have a major seizure when they take this.
stuff I can't believe we allow that. stuff to be sold then yeah it's um they. say watch Alabama for some reason. everything starts in Alabama with that. kind of stuff and then Alabama Outlaws. it but as soon as they outlaw it. something else is coming back yeah you. know so it's uh it's scary raising kids. you know. um even on social media you know you can. you can get on Instagram or or. any of the platforms and Order drugs. yeah and and you know while we're.
sitting here I can order a pound of. cocaine and have it shipped to my house. and it'll be here in three days you know. and kids have access to that I'm going. home with y'all and you know what I'm. saying yeah what do you want no I don't. know I know you're right though if. there's vpns people can you can get like. Dr it's. the postal service is the biggest. distributor of illegal narcotics in the. U.S you know it's it's it's scary. raising kids with gun violence and you. know just all these different things.
that can. yeah yeah it almost seems like it's just. becoming like another country that I. think that it seemed like when I was. growing up you know when I was a child. drugs didn't kill you back then no you. know nobody shot you. um it's different you know yeah but. they're still you know there's still. positive things that I can help people. with one area I did want to mention is. babies yeah my God child just had a baby. and yeah babies yeah I see you know we.
work babies we have a not a large amount. but babies die newborn babies. [Music]. um. some of the things you can do is you. know when we raised our children they. all slept in the bed with us we put them. right there in bed with us and luckily. we never lost a kid but if you have a. baby I've never pronounced the baby in a. baby bed. or. um a pack and play one of those little. small cribs you know it what happens is. um parents will put babies in. um in the middle of a king-sized bed.
because they're so small they can't even. roll yet and they put them in that bed. and they'll they'll basically suffocate. we all used to say it was SIDS but it's. truly positional asphyxia so that Airway. is like a straw and if that's straw. Kinks but as long as you're using baby. products you know like a baby bed I've. never pronounced the baby unless unless. of course they were using like an adult. blanket in a baby bed so there's things. you can do in that regard you know to.
that's things I can teach people so not. have your baby in bed with you don't put. your babies inside with you don't put. them on the couch sleeping while you. wash dishes because they roll off. they'll roll off they'll get wedged or. the the pillow is so soft that they. can't adjust their uh head and neck you. know so there's things I can teach. people that you know how preventable. deaths and babies is one of them. something that I can you know share with. with with new parents and yeah you know. it's super important yeah so you know.
there. bad can happen when you do. everything right you know so you just. got to be careful and every day is a. gift you know do you think it was a. reason you got into that line of work. then do you think there was like. something that like you had this like. you know this dark side that led you. into it it seems like you came a little. bit more through like the medical. profession. um or through the insurance like just. was it the what were you guys selling. you said uh What uh products were you.
working with before you got into well I. was in respiratory you know so I but. I've always had a uh I've always leaned. towards Health Care I've always worked. in the trauma area of healthcare. um so you there's something fascinating. about it a little bit yeah I've always. just had it I was just born to do this. kind of stuff you know I don't I don't. do the coroner's office for money it's. not a you know I saved my best thing my. best friend's life and I look back on.
that and you know it was a blessing to. have that yeah that ability Amen to be. able to just be there and be a part yeah. if you hadn't been there who knows yeah. that's a real gift you know but yeah I. don't know what what shifted me into it. um it's kind of like I was always uh. set up to do this kind of stuff yeah you. know and you can handle it absolutely. and to you uh your retired police. officer he was like man those guys can. eat yeah we can eat you know that. doesn't bother me I can eat a meatball.
sub or boudin cracklins in an autopsy. break room damn you know when you're. hungry you hungry. I don't know I wouldn't have a French. dip though that seems a bit much yeah if. it's pretty good I like french dip I. would do that at home I think yeah now. we don't eat standing over a body you. gotta stand off to the side yeah yeah. yeah just a little break room yeah. yeah plus down in Southeast Louisiana. bruh or if you're down in Southwest a.
lot of the bodies down there could be. caused by Dustin Poirier too dude yeah. that's right if you're down to Southwest. Louisiana right if you got a good ass. whooping I'm not saying he's a serial. killer but uh definitely know right. right I bet if you CH you know yeah you. know fighting I had we had a young guy. died he was punched once and it was a. hard enough hit and he collapsed and hit. the cement and that's really unfortunate. but again it doesn't take much. you know. life's pretty fragile does it seem like.
that it really is it really is every day. is a gift man some of the things we get. frustrated with with our family and and. friends. um are not worth the frustration because. they may not be here tomorrow or you. won't be here tomorrow you know and I. learned that yeah have you learned that. has that had a big effect on you that's. really fascinating yeah you're like this. is not a big deal yeah it's really not. you know you could be pumping gas and a. tire flies off a car and takes you out. you know. um I've had you know. single trees fall on cores you know just.
the most bizarre. things but when God's ready for you he's. going to take you God and so yeah it. makes you aware of your surroundings but. you can help people uh you can you know. back to the preventable deaths you can. tell people what not to do. and uh you know it helps you through. life you ever do you ever worry about. your own ego like I would be like Oh I'm. like you know. like I have some special gift or. something does that ever.
no man I'm real laid back. um what you see is what you get I'm. caging you know yeah I just kind of Roll. With the Flow I'm not special you know I. don't get speeding tickets that's a plus. that's fair it's nice knowing the police. yeah. [Music]. I keep a blood vial with uh I don't even. know what I have in it maybe coffee I. keep it in my glove box in all our cars. so if I'm going to Houston and I get. pulled over ever since Ebola man cops.
don't like body fluids oh yeah so if I. get pulled over you know I'll whip out. that biohazard bag with some coffee in. it now hey I'm transporting this to. whichever direction I'm going you know. I'm bringing this to Methodist oh it's. body fluid you can go you know they. don't even want to shake my hand on. saying oh man you know they give me a. little fist bump or an elbow yeah. sometimes my hands are dirty and. intentionally I'll say hey can I borrow. your ink pen and they're like no bruh. yeah you know gonna hold your flashlight. you know I need to look at this and they.
like no bruh. so you know do your hands get dirty on. the scene yeah I mean but I'm wearing. gloves right so there was a case you. know I have to put my hands in it you. know the worst of the worst worst of the. worst and. um there was there was a pedestrian just. something I didn't talk about man. pedestrians are dying and what is. pedestrian pedestrians people walking oh. God man so you had mentioned you know. going out and maybe having a beer or two. well you go out and have a couple of. drinks one drink at a dinner meeting. then you eat dessert and have a cup of.
coffee and you're driving back on that. dark two-lane road at 11 o'clock at. night there's going to be. pedestrians but there's going to be. somebody walking in black clothes on the. street and you're going to run over them. I mean it happens and as soon as you do. that they're drawing you blood but. pedestrians are dropping like flies and. we're so distracted right because people. on their phone yeah I mean look I'm I. text and drive I'll be the first one to. admit it and sometimes I'm driving I. hear that that rough sound when you when.
you venture off the road you know and. I'm like oh you know oh yeah that's the. Lord's Braille right there. that's right and look man that that that. could have been somebody standing right. there yeah it happened it used to be. walk walk with traffic but now I tell. people man walk against traffic so you. can see who's coming because everybody's. distracted oh that's such a great Point. yeah that that's totally changed. absolutely walk towards traffic so you. know yeah you you have to be the one. who's alert now they're not alert. unfortunately people are walking towards.
traffic looking at their phones so even. they swerve out you know bike riding man. we were raised on bike you know oh the. team Murray Mafia you know and. back we don't let our kids when they. were younger I don't let them ride bikes. in town anymore because people aren't. paying attention adults on bikes getting. mowed over you know it's it's adults on. bikes is weird also I think you don't. need to be wearing them tight pants. anyway in that helmet but if you do.
decide to do that yeah do it in a track. yeah because man we've had friends that. have gotten hit on highways and they're. not dead but you know they've taken. really bad uh had really bad accidents. you know but so yeah we see I forgot. where I was going prior to that but we. we do see a lot of pedestrians now I. think it was talking about preventative. things you know with that word you know. like yeah things to look out for you. just want to cover everything too I know. that you wanted to you know just be able. to share a lot of information as to like. I think we've learned a lot about like.
all the different areas your job kind of. encompasses you know the different types. of things that you can see that come in. um you know the different. responsibilities of the coroner's office. that we didn't know about. um and then it's your affiliation to it. you know that you're not some kind of. dark lord or anything yeah that you are. I don't have any Adams Family tats yeah. you know yeah you know you're just a man. that can handle it I'm a little. different you know I'm definitely not. right but uh you know uh.
we have a we so we have a Willie Nelson. mannequin in my house he's a full-size. mannequin and people always like man. what's that you know my kids even when. they were they were scared of them but I. had a crazy Aunt who had mannequins as. company and she was living and you were. in Covington if not if I'm not mistaken. and when we moved her back she had all. these mannequins and I was a young kid. and every time we would go to her. retirement home they were in different. positions we're in different clothes and. that was her company she was really had. some psychics yeah so when we had kids.
I'm like you know what I need to carry. that family tradition we need a. mannequin in here so uh we had one we. took it to on Arkansas vacation with us. and the the camp next to us just wasn't. quite sure about us yeah because I. pointed facing their cabin right. and then uh I found that Willie Nelson. mannequin in a place that a guy sold the. to me and it's just a lot of fun it's. different it's weird yeah it's cool uh. we took him to New Orleans in a. wheelchair and pushed him around but.
most people didn't even notice him you. know yeah but I would set him somewhere. and just watch people walk by and say. excuse me you know so uh yeah we're. different people we you know but well. yeah if you play in a man if you're. taking mannequins running wheelchairs I. think that that is a I understand I. think it all makes perfect sense now but. yeah I think you got to have some fun. Louisiana's always been like that. absolutely people always having fun my. mother love Willie Nelson. um I'm trying to think we grew up near a. prosthetic place that was making process. over at this joint and they'd throw a.
lot of them out the ones that didn't. come out good oh wow so we're always. beating the out of each other with. legs yeah just ambidextrous legs. and all kind of that's awesome yeah. it wasn't really legit you know right so. kind of adjust your perspective on. things absolutely you know Louisiana's. always had a decent you know I think. it's it's not a place where there's a. lot going on but you know there's not a. lot of big businesses I don't think. there's any Fortune 500 companies in. Louisiana except maybe Entergy and I. feel like they probably I think that. they moved out but so it's a lot it's.
just about people and having fun yeah. that's Louisiana have a good time yeah. it really is man and I think you got to. make the best time you can uh no matter. what you're doing and you guys are in. you guys police officers it's just a. position where you know it's not very. rewarding and you catch a lot of people. on their worst day absolutely the worst. days yeah nobody calls like hey Corner. yeah having a great time right right. like I said I can't go have a cup of. coffee with a friend without them. thinking that that you know they did bad.
news small town you know yeah dude. you're almost like that plink like that. uh like a uh like a roulette that ball. you know yeah you just drive around the. neighborhood and then you stop wherever. you want especially during covid you. know. somebody's dead I just stayed home I. mean it was like Monty Python you know. bring out your dad you know but I'm not. dead yet that's what it was that you. know it uh yeah no it's an interesting. it's an interesting field for sure well. look man I I just yeah well I appreciate.
you coming in man I appreciate you. spending time and yeah um yeah it's. really nice of you dude this has been. cool to learn about you know I think we. like to just learn uh from different. occupations and stuff and so now I know. a lot more about what a corner does yeah. it's um it's always interesting and. somebody has to do it and uh you know we. try to we try to get get the job done as. compassionately and as we can yeah you. know so really appreciate you having me. on yeah man you're the guy that does it.
man Toby savoir that's right thank you. bro Louisiana I appreciate it yeah dude. I love to come down there bro and catch. a body y'all do ride-alongs or not now. we can yeah you have to throw on some. scrubs or a lab jacket but yeah we'll. we'll bring you I'll do that yeah it'd. be cool man yeah I would love to come. down we could get Discovery to do you. know a rural rural coroner's office yeah. watch me check the fridge and call out. groceries I like that bro. yeah that'd be a cool game so you call. out the groceries then we guess who's.
dead or whatever yeah yeah or why yeah. exactly well it all pretty much be heart. disease but yeah yeah that's true. the number one killer man that's right. things we things we live on yeah Toby I. appreciate you so much for your time. thank you guys for coming out it's been. a it's been a great opportunity to come. out here and talk and I hope this. podcast even saves a few lives people. may hear what not to do you know or or. be more aware of their surroundings and. that's pretty righteous I was thinking.
about that especially during the. holidays especially about times when. you're like well is it worth it to take. this road for a couple minutes faster to. get home what's the really the safest. possibility for myself or my family. because yeah ever there's a lot of. dangerous turns out there these days and. it's up to the individual really in the. end you know to try and put themselves. in a best situation especially in our. country or our laws and stuff like that. aren't even going to do that anymore for. us right. absolutely Toby Savoy thank you so much. brother thank you man I appreciate it.
you bet. [Music]. [Music]. [Music]. but it's gonna take.
