The Johnson County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) operates under the statutory obligation of determining cause and manner of death along with the obligation of identifying deceased individuals. Deaths are investigated for any individual who dies within Johnson County boundaries including those unattended by a physician, violent or non-natural deaths and deaths of minors (children under 18) with no significant medical history.

The MEO is a separate and independent office of Johnson County Government. The MEO is funded through the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners by the citizens of Johnson County. The MEO serves the living by working on behalf of the deceased to obtain the truth and circumstances of their death. This office is independent of all other entities: law enforcement agencies, physicians, nursing homes, hospitals, attorneys, etc.

The MEO responds to death scenes in all nineteen cities (Olathe, Overland Park, Shawnee, Lenexa, Leawood, Mission, Gardner, Prairie Village, Merriam, Roeland Park, De Soto, Mission Hills, Spring Hill, Fairway, Lake Quivira, Edgerton, Westwood, Mission Woods, and Westwood Hills) in addition to all of unincorporated Johnson County comprising an overall geographical area of approximately 480 square miles.