lgstarr: BREITBART Coroner Dies Under 'Suspicious Circumstances'

UPDATE #2

A private investigator has been unable to find the only eyewitness to the sudden death of media innovator and conservative activist Andrew Breitbart. The apparent disappearance of Christopher Lasseter, who says he saw Breitbart drop to the sidewalk in front of a restaurant, adds to the mystery surrounding Breitbart’s March 1 death.

Forwarded by Dave Hollenbeck (former CA Highway Patrol officer):

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/poisoning-suspected-in-sudden-death-of-coroners-official.html

Poisoning suspected in sudden death of coroner's official

April 27, 2012 | 6:35 PM

He spent his life trying to determine how people died. But now his colleagues are searching for answers after he died under mysterious circumstances.

Los Angeles police detectives, with the help of the Los Angeles County coroner's office, are investigating the death of Michael Cormier. Officials said he might have died of poisoning, but they have not provided further information.

Cormier, 61, died last week after being taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank from his North Hollywood home. Earlier he had complained of pain and vomiting.

Hospital staff notified police about concerns surrounding the cause of Cormier's death.

"At this point we haven't ruled out foul play," said Lt. Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department. "It is one of the things being considered. We are waiting for the coroner's results."

Ed Winter, deputy chief coroner, said that Cormier's autopsy has been performed but that a cause of death has been deferred pending further tests.

Investigators have also interviewed his family and friends. Messages left at the home Friday went unanswered.

Authorities have examined Cormier's Auckland Avenue home for clues to the cause of his death. Sources said several hazardous materials experts and officers searched the small home looking for clues.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that finding the presence of poison does not necessarily mean the death was a homicide, because the substance could have accidentally entered his system.

Hamilton cautions that such investigations are standard practice when there is even a suggestion of anything other than natural causes.

It unclear if the death could also be related to his work or hobbies.

Cormier, who also worked as a coroner's photographer, registered MAC Autopsy Services as a smal Michael Cormier, Forensic Technician for L.A. County Coroner, Dies Under 'Suspicious Circumstances'

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Michael Cormier, Forensic Technician for L.A. County Coroner, Dies Under 'Suspicious Circumstances'

By Simone Wilson
Fri., Apr. 27 2012 at 9:15 AM

mrcanacorn.wordpress.com

The L.A. County Department of Coroner is a crazy place. Employees at the old, haunted-house-looking office -- including sentence-servers like Lindsay Lohan -- see a flurry of celebrity overdoses and true-Hollywood murders come through, alongside countless casualties of this brutal gangland.

And the story just got stranger: Michael A. Cormier, a forensic technician and an integral character at the Coroner's Office, recently turned up dead at his home in North Hollywood.

CBS LA reports that Cormier, 61, was rushed to St. Joseph's Medical Center about a week ago, where he was soon declared dead.

And the death may not have been a natural one: LAPD Lieutenant Alan Hamilton tells the news station that hospital staff think Cormier may have died under "suspicious circumstances."

The lieutenant goes on to say that police "have information that could potentially include foul play."

Cormier, who CBS reports also served occasionally as "a photographer with the special operations response team," became a minor celebrity himself when he starred in a DVD extra for 2005 horror movie Chaos.

The short, called "Inside the Coroner's Office: A Tour of the L.A. Coroner's Crypt," featured the forensic technician showing writer/director Dave "The Demon" DeFalco around the morgue.

According to one film blogger who watched the clip:

"This dude is even weirder than DeFalco...he's kind of a mix between Dr. Lawrence Jacoby and Dr. Matthew "Frankenstein" Logan. He walks us through the various crypts pointing out all sorts of stuff, like dead babies (wrapped in plastic) and dead fat people (wrapped in plastic)! ... He even shows off his "tools of the trade"...including a long handle, curved head branch trimmer and a dry erase marker!"

At the end of the video, Cormier and DeFalco reportedly discuss an upcoming collaboration called The Devil's Doorway, which deals with...

"... their theory on how true evil manifests in human beings...through methamphetamines! You see, the meth opens up a doorway to another dimension allowing demons to possess these meth-heads and then these possessed speed freaks commit brutal crimes!"

We've contacted the L.A. County Coroner and the LAPD for any additional details on Cormier's possible cause of death.

Update: Cormier also appears in this video of a car crash on Sunset Boulevard. He's the bearded guy wheeling the corpse around:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gNl6t_hkd8&feature=player_embedded#!

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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/04/poisoning-suspected-in-sudden-death-of-coroners-official.html