July 25--Kane County Coroner Rob Russell said Friday he will review old death investigation rulings made by his predecessors, an idea spurred by the man Russell defeated in the 2012 primary election.
Russell said Friday he would begin a systematic review and said members of the public should contact his office if they feel previous coroners erred in death investigation rulings. Russell said he would investigate the cases to see whether findings complied with modern forensic standards.
"If anybody wants me to look into anything, I'd be glad to do it," Russell said.
The coroner said the offer to review old cases was prompted by a recent discussion with Dr. Robert Tiballi, an Elgin physician whom Russell outpolled in the 2012 Republican primary. Tiballi, Russell said, had drawn his attention to case where the coroner's office could not determine a cause of death -- a case Tiballi believed was a homicide.
"Bob's a respected member of the community -- there would be no reason for me not to look into it," Russell said.
The investigation of that case, which dates to the late 1990s, is in a preliminary phase, said Russell, who did not want to discuss specifics at this point. Attempts to reach Tiballi were not successful.
After agreeing to revisit Tiballi's case, Russell said he found another case that he thought needed review. That prompted his decision for a systematic examination, he said.
Russell acknowledged that he was partly motivated by issues that dogged the last two years of the term of previous coroner Chuck West, who was elected in 2000 and died in office. At the time of his 2012 death, West was facing felony misconduct charges that he allowed property to be taken from a dead man's home. That case generated a harassment civil suit against West filed by one of his deputy coroners.
Russell said he hoped the review would boost confidence in the coroner's office.
The coroner, who has publicly squabbled with County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen over budget issues, said he would perform initial inquires, so there would not be a financial impact. If the review took on larger dimensions, Russell said he would recruit volunteers with law enforcement experiences to assist in the process.
