FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ohio — The Franklin County Board of Commissioners has appointed a former Cleveland medical examiner as the acting coroner for the county.
The board of commissioners on Thursday morning approved a resolution appointing Andrea McCollom to serve as the Acting Franklin County Coroner until Democrats can officially appoint one.
McCollom will temporarily replace Anahi Ortiz, who retired from the coroner’s office on Nov. 11. The Democratic party will be responsible for filling the vacancy permanently.
Ortiz served as Franklin County Coroner for eight years. During her time as coroner, she navigated through the coronavirus pandemic, the opioid crisis and two years where the city of Columbus saw single-year highs for homicide.
10TV has previously reported on the staffing struggles her office has faced recently. Before she retired, Ortiz said staffing was no longer an issue thanks to their recruitment efforts this year.
McCollom comes from Cleveland where she previously served as a deputy medical examiner for the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office for 11 years.
McCollom graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York and continued her studies to receive her M.D. at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
