SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – In his quaint office, Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon prepares for one of the most difficult parts of his job.
“Yeah, it is his Mom,” his said aloud as he prepared to call a woman to tell her the cause of her son’s death.
"Some people would say it is nice to be busy at work, the day goes by faster, but I can assure you that is not the case in this office,” he said.
An employee of the coroner’s office for 17-years, Allmon took over the office just a few months ago, after his predecessor, Cinda Edwards, died in a plane crash. Her death would be the start of a busy year for Allmon.
"This year has been challenging for many different reasons,” the coroner said.
In the first six-months of 2020, Allmon and his staff have dealt with the unimaginable. His office has handled 32 COVID-19 deaths following the death of Edwards, and on June 26th, his office responded to Bunn-O-Matic where three people were shot and killed.
"You really can't wrap your head around it entirely,” he said.
Allmon’s team was called in to remove the bodies, oversee the autopsies, and complete the difficult task of notifying the victim’s families.
"It never gets any easier,” he said, reflecting on notifications he has made. “It never gets any easier. I have interrupted birthday parties, a gender reveal party. I have walked up drives looking through bay windows and those families have no idea that I am coming."
Each death, and the investigation that comes with it can be trying for Allmon and those he works with. Doing a job few understand, Allmon finds purpose. He hopes to bring closure to the families of the deceased, but with that purpose comes trauma for those in the office.
"The nature of this job, some days are a lot better than others in this office,” he said. "There is a close-knit group of people in this profession. We lean on each other. We really do."
Following the Bunn-O-Matic shooting, the coroner’s office staff found support in others. It is where they find support after every death.
"We have to lean on each out. We have to lean on our colleagues, and we have to call other coroners and talk to those guys and girls and bounce things off of them because it is tough,” he said. "We're here to help, but we are human, and it does affect us."
Now, as they decompress from the tragedies of the past, they prepare for the next call. A service to both the living and the dead.
"We treat people as we would want to be treated. We give them fact. We tell them exactly what we know. We are a fact-finding agency."
