DOVER, Del. (WBOC/AP)– Dr. Gary L. Collins has been appointed Delaware's new chief medical examiner, officials announced Wednesday. Collins will oversee the forensic and pathology testing performed by the Division of Forensic Science.
Officials said Collins, who lives in Newark, has served seven years in the Philadelphia's Medical Examiner's Office, including two years as a deputy chief medical examiner. Over the past two years as second in command, Collins has supervised the operations of the medical examiner's office while collaborating with other staff overseeing the forensic investigators and autopsy technicians.
He has performed thousands of autopsies certifying the manner and cause of death in more than 4,000 cases, officials said.
Collins is a graduate from the University of West Indes and completed his pathway residency at the University of South Florida. He completed his forensic pathology residency at the Drexel University College of Medicine. He is also board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and forensic pathology.
Collins replaces Dr. Richard Callery, who was targeted in a criminal investigation involving possible misuse of state resources and was fired for misconduct in July amid an evidence-tampering scandal in Delaware's drug testing lab.
The scandal resulted in the arrests of two state employees and prompted dismissals or plea bargains in several drug cases. It also led lawmakers to abolish Callery's office and replace it with a new Division of Forensic Science.
Officials said Wednesday that they expect the drug lab, which was closed in February by Delaware State Police, to reopen on Oct. 2.
