City to probe medical examiner's office after mishandling MOVE bombing remains
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said a procedural overhaul of the city's medical examiner's office is "certainly on the table" after remains from the 1985 MOVE bombing were ordered to be destroyed and later found inside a refrigerated room.
"As I’ve said previously, it is abundantly clear that improvements are necessary related to the operations of the Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO)," Kenney said. "We will be engaging experts in this field and are reviewing best practices, especially as it relates to racial equity."
Former Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley was forced to resign on Thursday after he owned up to ordering remains from the MOVE bombing to be destroyed in 2017. The remains were later found inside a box inside a refrigerated area of the medical examiner's office.
"I profoundly regret making this decision without consulting the family members of the victims and I extend my deepest apologies for the pain this will cause them," Farley wrote.
On Sunday, Mayor Kenney's office promised a "thorough independent investigation" to help answer the avalanche of questions generated by the scandal. Kenney's probe will include a review of the medical examiner's office's policies and procedures, which may necessitate an "overhaul."
"We are getting to the bottom of many different disturbing questions, including why these remains were held for decades, and why they were still held after being directed to be cremated,"
Kenney said his office has started a national search for a new health commissioner, which is currently being held by Dr. Cheryl Bettigole on an interim level.
Philadelphia will also work with diverse stakeholders to evaluate how the 1985 MOVE bombing is commemorated in the future.
"This latest unfortunate incident will not be in vain if we use it as a catalyst for finally doing right by the victims of the MOVE bombing and their families," Kenney said.
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