A medical examiner (often referred to by the initials "ME") is a physician, and a specialist in pathology or forensic science. The difference between and M.E. and a coroner is a coroner is elected whereas a Medical Examiner isn't.
In New York City, the chief medical examiner and several assistant Medical Examiners work at the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
Duties always include determining the cause, time, and manner of death. This uses the same investigatory skills of a police detective in most cases, because the answers are available from the circumstances, scene, and recent medical records. In many American jurisdictions any death not certified by the person's own physician must be referred to the Medical Examiner.
On the Law & Order franchise, Medical Examiners, are often used as a source of information during police investigations.
Investigations[]
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit[]
Episode: "Mean"
- Assistant Medical Examiner Cardillo examined the body of Emily Sullivan. After he finished his preliminary investigation, a car from the M.E.'s office picked up the body.
Known medical examiners[]
- Eddie Hastings
- Flax
- Hoeck
Multiple Shows[]
Actor | Character | First episode |
Last episode |
Number of appearances |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tamara Tunie | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Chief Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Melinda Warner |
SVU: "Noncompliance" (Season 2) |
OC: "Deliver Us From Evil" (Season 4) |
176 |
Leslie Hendrix | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Assistant Chief Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Elizabeth Rodgers |
L&O: "The Fertile Fields" (Season 2) |
CI: "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap" (Season 10) |
264 |
Frank Wood | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Doctor Abel Truman |
SVU: "Ballad Of Dwight and Irena" (Season 22) |
SVU: "Bad Things" (Season 24) |
11 |
Law & Order[]
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit[]
Actor | Character | First episode |
Last episode |
Number of appearances |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lance Reddick | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Assistant Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Taylor |
"The Third Guy" (Season 1) |
"Inheritance" (Season 3) |
6 |
Jake Robards | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Assistant Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Cardillo |
"Mean" (Season 5) |
"Debt" (Season 6) |
2 |
Karen Tsen Lee | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), DNA technician/Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Susan Chung |
"Double Strands" (Season 13) |
"Manhattan Transfer" (Season 17) |
9 |
Jefferson Mays | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Deputy Chief Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Carl Rudnick |
"Spousal Privilege" (Season 16) |
"Nationwide Manhunt" (Season 17) |
7 |
Other Shows[]
Actor | Character | First episode |
Last episode |
Number of appearances |
---|---|---|---|---|
Patricia R. Floyd | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Assistant Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor Rafi |
"Con-Text" (CI Season 2) |
"Collective" (CI Season 4) |
2 |
Tim Hopper | New York City (NYC) Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), Medical Examiner (ME) Doctor George Gibson |
"Skeleton" (TBJ Season 1) |
"Boys Will Be Boys" (TBJ Season 1) |
2 |