Emily Denney

Park County’s current deputy coroner is running for coroner. Emily Denney was among the first candidates who filed to run for coroner. She filed on May 12.

A Powell resident, Denney has served as Park County’s deputy coroner since 2014.

The U.S. Army veteran arrived in Powell in 2008 after spending a year in Casper.

Denney, 36, currently works at American West Realty and Management in Powell, in addition to her part-time duties as Park County deputy coroner. Previously, she worked for the county sheriff’s department.

“I was working in the detention center and pursued the deputy coroner position in 2014,” said Denney, who served as a veterinary technician in the U.S. Army prior to being honorably discharged.

The coroner candidate listed educating the public, providing care and compassion to families, and ensuring paperwork is completed promptly as her top three priorities if elected.

Denney has worked as a dispatcher for the Powell Police Department and the Park County Sheriff’s Office. In 2010, Denney decided to transfer to the detention center as a deputy sheriff. From there, she attended the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy to learn the basics of coroner work

“Since 2014 I’ve been the [Park County] deputy coroner,” she said. “The deputy coroner is on call, so it’s not a full-time position.” However, she prefaced the coroner’s office handles about 85 calls a year.

“I was probably involved with about 65,” she said. “And the numbers have been increasing.”

Denney decided to work in real estate because she enjoys working with people. In fact, Denney said having refined people skills is important for a coroner position, which spends a lot of time coordinating with law enforcement personnel and working with families — in addition to handling paperwork and filing death certificates.

“I really like working with the public and helping people,” Denney said. “So real estate was a good position for me.”

Denney made clear, however, she has continued to serve as deputy coroner alongside her real estate career. In fact, she assisted the current coroner, Tim Power, with filing paperwork over the past 18 months, including death certificates. The volume of paperwork increased, she said, after the coroner’s office was moved to a new location in downtown Cody and became fully computerized.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Tim,” she said. “He’s 100 percent in support of me, and has endorsed me.”

In coroner-called deaths, Denney clarified the coroner handles the first encounter with a deceased body and investigates the cause of death with law enforcement, arranging transportation of the body and coordinating arrangements between the county and the designated funeral home. If the corpse requires a full examination, the coroner must also make arrangements to do so with a pathologist. Each of these functions, Denney stressed, requires strong people skills.

She estimated “maybe a third” of the cases handled by the county coroner require a full examination from a pathologist. It’s an important point because many people think the Park County coroner probes and examines dead bodies.

“One of my goals in running for coroner is to help educate the public,” Denney said. “There is such a misconception as to what the coroner does.”

In fact, a major portion of the position, as well as her current responsibilities as deputy coroner, entails filing paperwork.

It’s a vital function of the position, she pointed out, “because the families are waiting for those death certificates.”

Dealing with grieving family members is a crucial function of the coroner’s job, she said.

“Death is such a sudden, tragic event, and these families need somebody with compassion,” Denney said. “I care about people, and I want to be there to support them in their time of need.”

The candidate believes eight years as deputy coroner, combined with her law enforcement background and real estate experience make her ideally suited for the position.