Elliot M. Gross (born )Barron, James. ''New York Times''. October 30, 1986. is an American
forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...
who served as the Chief Medical Examiner of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
from 1979 until his dismissal in 1989.
Background
Gross became chief medical examiner after replacing
Michael Baden
Michael M. Baden (born July 27, 1934) is an American physician and board-certified forensic pathologist known for his work investigating high-profile deaths and as the host of HBO's ''Autopsy''. Baden was the chief medical examiner of the C ...
in 1979.Shenon, Philip (1985). Chief Medical Examiner's Reports in Police-Custody Cases Disputed . The New York Times. . Retrieved December 18, 2017. Previously, he had been the chief medical examiner of Connecticut for nine years. He headed the New York City Chief Medical Examiners office in 1979 and performed the controversial autopsies such as Graffiti artist Michael Stewart, Eleanor Bumpurs, and Nicholas Bartlett, all killed by police officers.Sleeper, Jim. The Closest of Strangers: Liberalism and the Politics of Race in New York. New York: W.W. Norton, 1990. Print. . p. 195
Gross graduated from the
Horace Mann School
, motto_translation = Great is the truth and it prevails
, address = 231 West 246th Street
, city = The Bronx
, state = New York
, zipcode = 10471
, count ...
New York University School of Medicine
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, with the other being the Long Island School of ...
. He had been the Chief Medical Examiner of Connecticut for nine years and, while a captain in the
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...
, served as chief of the aerospace pathology branch of the
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) (1862 – September 15, 2011) was a U.S. government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research in the medical specialty of pathology.
Overview
It was founded in ...
.Alice Helpern Wed To Dr. Elliot Gross /ref>
Controversy
Gross and his staff were accused by several defense lawyers and forensic specialists of producing misleading or inaccurate autopsy findings in police custody cases and giving misleading testimony in trials.Shenon, Philip (March 5, 1985). . The New York Times. . Retrieved December 19, 2017. On January 28, 1985, Mayor Koch and Governor Cuomo ordered state and city agencies to investigate the allegations against the Medical Examiners office and Gross."Chronology of Gross Case". The New York Times. December 14, 1985. . Retrieved December 19, 2017. In July 1985, Gross took a leave of absence following eleven charges of incompetence filed by the State Health Department.Finder, Alan; Scardino, Albert; Goodman, Walter (August 4, 1985). The Region; Dr. Gross Faces Charges . The New York Times. . Retrieved December 19, 2017. Although he was cleared of the charges filed by the State department, an administrative law judge ruled against their decision stating they lacked jurisdiction on the grounds that performing autopsies is not a practice of medicine.
There was an internal investigation of the Chief Medical Examiner's office beginning in 1986 due to an increased number of allegations of misconduct, misleading causes of deaths, and covering up evidence of police brutality. In 1986, two medical examiners were questioned following an investigation of the Chief Medical Examiner's office by the Department of Investigation about their certification of deaths on the scene.Gross, Elliot M.; Prepared by Bonnie Stone, Deputy Commissioner for Administration, Department of Health, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Progress Report April 5 - May 9, 1986 New York, NY: LaGuardia Community College/CUNY: La Guardia and Wagner Archives, Edward I. Koch Collection, Koch Collection Subject Files. There had been no inspector general for the Medical Examiner office at the time so there was no quality control. There were 2600 cases in the backlogs of the records and toxicology units. There was hiring of new staff in evidence, communications, identification, and mortuary units and half a dozen new medical examiners. Increased inquiry allowed for major changes in mortuary to be implemented to ensure efficiency such as hospital wristbands vs. toe tags and medical examiner identifying numbers to ensure accuracy and reduce search time.Gross, Elliot M.; Prepared by Bonnie Stone, Deputy Commissioner for Administration, Department of Health, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Progress Report February 10- April 4, 1986 New York, NY: LaGuardia Community College/CUNY: La Guardia and Wagner Archives, Edward I. Koch Collection, Koch Collection Subject Files. The New York Times reported "the facilities were poorly maintained and disorganized and evidence in criminal cases were not handled in accordance with any identifiable system which assures quality control, accuracy, reliability, security, or availability."
In October 1987, Mayor Koch dismissed Gross, faulting his leadership and managerial ability. In 1990, after a five-year investigation, Gross was cleared of 11 charges of negligence, misconduct, and incompetence stemming from nine autopsies, including several that involved people who died in police custody. He moved on to be a pathologist with the Lake County Coroners office in
Crown Point, Indiana
Crown Point is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 33,899 at the 2020 census. The city was incorporated in 1868. On October 31, 1834, Solon Robinson and his family became the first settlers to ...
Cape May
Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay fro ...
and
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
, and was an assistant medical examiner in nearby
Atlantic County
Atlantic County is a county located along the southern coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county had a population of 274,534.