COLUMBUS, Ohio — Franklin County Coroner Anahi Ortiz announced she will be retiring next month.
Ortiz, who has been the county's coroner for eight years, said she has been considering retirement for the last year. She said she wanted to make sure the office was set up for success before retiring.
Ortiz has been the coroner through the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis and two years where the city of Columbus saw single-year highs for homicides.
10TV has previously reported on the staffing struggles her office has faced recently. Ortiz says that's no longer an issue thanks to their focus on recruitment in 2022.
"Our office is nearly fully staffed with six full-time pathologists and a pathology assistant. We’re now completing coroner’s reports and delivering them to families at a faster pace than ever before in my tenure," Ortiz said in a statement.
The coroner's office said county commissioners are required to appoint an interim coroner and then the Democratic party will be responsible for filling the vacancy permanently within 45 days.
You can read Ortiz's full statement below:
“It has been an honor and a privilege to have served the Franklin County residents as their coroner for the past eight years. The families that come to us are often going through one of the darkest moments of their lives. It is our job to provide those families with delicate, accurate and prompt service, which has always been of the utmost importance to me and my staff.
I have been considering retirement for the past year, but I wanted to be sure the office was set up for success into the future before I stepped aside. Due to our focus on recruitment in 2022, our office is nearly fully staffed with six full-time pathologists and a pathology assistant. We’re now completing coroner’s reports and delivering them to families at a faster pace than ever before in my tenure.
I will continue to be a resource for the office as needed. My hope is that our community will continue to focus its efforts on solving the mental health, addiction, and homicide crises that so often result in the tragedies that plague too many families in Franklin County and beyond.
The next phase of my life will be focused on spending more time with my family, which is spread out across the country.
Thank you for allowing me to serve our community. It has been the honor of a lifetime.”