Michael A. Cormier, an LA County coroner technician, died on April 20, 2012, at age 61 after suddenly falling violently ill at his North Hollywood home. His death triggered an LAPD investigation because hospital doctors refused to sign his death certificate, and investigators later said a foreign substance had been found in his system, with arsenic mentioned as one possibility. No cause of death was ever publicly announced, and no suspects were named.1Los Angeles Times. Coroner Technician May Have Died of Poisoning2CBS News Los Angeles. LAPD: Coroner’s Official May Have Died From Arsenic Poisoning
What Happened the Night He Died
On the evening of Friday, April 20, 2012, Cormier became violently ill at his Auckland Avenue home in North Hollywood. A neighbor, Marlene Chamberlain, reported hearing him vomiting intensely twice that night. When Chamberlain’s daughter went to check on him, he did not answer or acknowledge her.36abc. LA County Coroner Technician’s Death Under Investigation He was taken by ambulance to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he died.1Los Angeles Times. Coroner Technician May Have Died of Poisoning
Why the LAPD Opened an Investigation
Doctors at St. Joseph raised concerns about the circumstances and refused to sign the death certificate. LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman described the protocol this way: “If the attending doctor or physician is not willing to sign off on the death certificate, then it becomes an investigation to determine the actual cause of death.”36abc. LA County Coroner Technician’s Death Under Investigation
The LAPD and the Los Angeles County coroner’s office opened a joint investigation. Detectives and a hazardous materials team searched his home and seized evidence. LAPD Lt. Alan Hamilton told reporters investigators had found “no obvious sign that Cormier died of natural causes” and had “information that could potentially include foul play.”2CBS News Los Angeles. LAPD: Coroner’s Official May Have Died From Arsenic Poisoning
An autopsy was performed, but Deputy Chief Coroner Ed Winter said the cause of death was “deferred pending further tests.”1Los Angeles Times. Coroner Technician May Have Died of Poisoning Reports indicated a “foreign substance” had been found in his system, and investigators were examining whether he ingested poison, with arsenic specifically mentioned as one possibility.36abc. LA County Coroner Technician’s Death Under Investigation Authorities cautioned that the presence of a foreign substance did not necessarily mean homicide, since it could have entered his system accidentally. Investigators also acknowledged the death could be related to his professional work or hobbies, including a small home-based business he had registered at his residence called MAC Autopsy Services, though they offered no specifics.
As of early May 2012, toxicology results were expected to take four to six additional weeks. Hamilton reiterated that the department had “not ruled out foul play” but that it remained “one of the things being considered.”1Los Angeles Times. Coroner Technician May Have Died of Poisoning
The Andrew Breitbart Rumor
Because Cormier worked at the same coroner’s office that had handled Andrew Breitbart’s autopsy, and because Breitbart’s autopsy results were released on April 20, 2012, the same day Cormier fell ill, online commentators began speculating that the two deaths were connected. The theories suggested, without evidence, that Cormier might have been silenced over something he knew about Breitbart’s case.4Patch. Conspiracy Theories Surface in Breitbart’s Death
Breitbart had died on March 1, 2012, after collapsing during a walk near his Brentwood home. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office attributed his death to heart failure resulting from an enlarged heart and coronary artery disease. No prescription or illicit drugs were detected, and foul play was not suspected.5CNN. Andrew Breitbart Autopsy Results Released The LAPD explicitly rejected any link between the two deaths.6The Daily Beast. Police Debunk Theories Linking Breitbart, LA Coroner Tech Deaths
Who Cormier Was
Cormier was born on June 7, 1950, in Rumford, Maine, one of eight children. He graduated from Rumford High School in 1968 and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a field radio operator.7Sun Journal. Rumford Woman Awaits Word on Brother’s Cause of Death He later settled in North Hollywood and spent his last ten years at the LA County coroner’s office as an autopsy and forensic technician and as a photographer on the office’s special operations response team.2CBS News Los Angeles. LAPD: Coroner’s Official May Have Died From Arsenic Poisoning His sister, Gina Cormier Child, later said he had worked on several high-profile autopsies, including that of Michael Jackson, but was careful never to discuss the details of his work.
His death came only three weeks after his brother Gary Anthony Cormier died of cancer on March 29, 2012. Michael had been planning to travel back to Maine to sing at Gary’s funeral. Gina Child later told the Sun Journal she was frustrated the family had not been informed of the suspected poisoning before it appeared publicly. “I want to know what happened,” she said. “We didn’t know about the arsenic poisoning until we saw it online. I was quite upset because they hadn’t notified the family.”7Sun Journal. Rumford Woman Awaits Word on Brother’s Cause of Death
Where the Case Stands
The available reporting on Cormier’s death does not include a final, publicly announced cause. As of the last reports in May 2012, authorities were still awaiting full toxicology results and had made no official determination about whether his death was a homicide, an accident, or the result of natural causes. No suspects were ever publicly named, and no charges were filed. What killed Michael Cormier remains unanswered in the public record.