Meet Vanita Hullander, Catoosa County coroner
Every year, for 15 years, Vanita Hullander recieved a call at 1 a.m. on the anniversary of a death she investigated as Catoosa County coroner.
“It was the mother of a young man who died,” says Hullander. “She just needed someone to remember with her and she knew she could call me. I let people know they can do that – I can always go back to sleep.”
Above all else, Hullander says her job as coroner is about families. “I’m the liaison between families and emergency workers, law enforcement and others who have specific jobs to do when they find someone has died.”
When there’s a death in Catoosa County, except under a few circumstances, the coroner is notified.
“When I arrive on the scene,” says Hullander, “I do what I call ‘walk and talk.’ I start by talking to the people on the outside – police, firefighters. As I get closer to the scene, I keep asking questions and listening. If media is present, I let them know they can’t take pictures – it’s hard enough for a family without that. When I reach the family I comfort them and make sure they have my number in case they need help down the road.”
From there, Hullander examines the body to determine cause of death. She must decide if further investigation is in order. She consults with EMTs on site. She may need to consult with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and order an autopsy. And there’s always a pile of paperwork.
That’s the abbreviated explanation of what a county coroner does.
Hullander started out working as an EMT on an ambulance. After two years, she decided she wanted more training, so she went to paramedic school. “I wanted to make sure I had every skill I could possibly need to help people,” she says. For 13 of her 32 years as an EMT and paramedic, she also served as the first female volunteer firefighter with Catoosa County and was the first woman to make rank: lieutenant.
Rounding out her résumé, Hullander earned a degree in business management.
While working on an ambulance, Hullander took on yet more work in a hospital emergency room. Then, in 1997, she ran for coroner, garnering 96% of the vote.
“The demands of coroner’s office were just too much to keep all my jobs,” says Hullander. She gave up the ambulance. Six years ago, she decided she had to further choose between jobs. “My husband encouraged me to make my choice based on what I loved doing rather than on how much money I could make, so I chose coroner.”
The job of coroner is complex. “It’s a 24/7 job,” says Hullander. “You can be called out at any time of the day or night.” Hullander may find herself investigating a murder, a suicide, an unexplained child death or, as is more often the case, a death by natural causes. She attends many of the autopsies she orders, including all performed on children. “When I attend the autopsy, I can ask questions as it’s performed, which makes it much easier to figure out the cause of death.”
The coroner can also convene a court, complete with jury, to further investigate the cause of death in a case. “My court is not like any other,” Hullander says. “I allow the jury to ask questions during procedures to make sure they fully understand what’s being said as the inquest proceeds, rather than wait and try to straighten things out when it’s all over.”
Hullander has some issues about which she’s passionate. “People should always be treated with respect,” she says. “My deputies and I are on the same sheet of music about this – being kind to families when they’ve lost a loved one.”
Suicide is another of Hullander’s big concerns. “We’ve had 27 suicides in Catoosa County so far this year. That’s three, four and five times higher than comparable counties in the state. We need to do a better job of making sure people know where they can turn for help when they’re desperate.”
Hullander also has a heart for the elderly. “I’ve tried to get a bill through the legislature to give the coroner jurisdiction in nursing homes and other paidcare situations to help provide an added layer of protection for the elderly and disabled. The bill carried for five years but never passed.”
Finally, there are child deaths. “Parents automatically feel they must have done something wrong when a child dies, but most of the time they haven’t. There’s fear and pain. There can be anger on the part of others, and parents have to deal with that, too.”
But a child’s death sometimes is the result of abuse. “There was one case in which a four-month-old baby died. The father had suffocated him in a brutal way because he was crying. I had detectives meet me at the hospital and we got the man convicted.”
Although she gave up two other jobs to devote herself full-time to her work as coroner, that doesn’t mean Hullander hasn’t found other things to take on. She teaches substance abuse classes and Teen Impact Driving at All-Counties DUI, a driving school run by her daughter. At one time, she served on 51 different committees. She’s served as second and first vice-president and president of the Georgia Coroners Association.
Every Monday night, UCTV3 viewers can watch “Community Matters,” where Hullander interviews interesting members of the community. “I basically facilitate my guests – they’re the experts on themselves,” she says. For awhile, district attorney Buzz Franklin co-hosted with Hullander.
“I have an amazing life,” says Hullander. “I have a wonderful family and I’m privileged to do work I love and to help the community I love, often during the hardest moments of their lives.”