SITUATION AS SOON
AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.
>> NOW EXPLOSIVE ALLEGATIONS
GOING IN THE MEDICAL EXAMINER'S
OFFICE.
DID STAFFERS COVER UP FOR THEIR
BOSS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN SUFFERING
FROM EARLY ON SET ALZHEIMER'S FOR
YEARS?
TONIGHT WE GET ANSWERS.
ANGELA COREY HAS COME UNDER FIRE
FOR WHAT SHE KNEW ABOUT
DR. MARGARITA ARRUZA'S MEMORY
PROBLEMS AND WHEN.
>> DR. ARRUZA STEPPED DOWN IN
2011.
OUR CHANNEL 4 JIM PIGGOTT HAS
INFORMATION SAYING STAFF MAY HAVE
COVERED UP HER HEALTH PROBLEMS
FOR YEARS.
A REPORT FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE
WEEKLY ARTICLE THIS AFTERNOON.
JIM?
>> YOU KNOW, TARIK, I'VE BEEN
TALKING TO THE EDITOR AND BEEN
WORKING WITH THE EDITOR OF FOLIO
WEEKLY ON THIS STORY TODAY AND
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT IN
2011 DR. ARRUZA DID STEP DOWN IN
PERFORMING THOSE AUTOPSIES, BUT
THIS DISPOSITION THAT I HAVE
RIGHT HERE, THAT WE RECEIVED
TODAY, IT BASICALLY SHOWS THAT
THE CURRENT MEDICAL EXAMINER MAY
HAVE KNOWN THAT THERE WERE
PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THAT, SEVERAL
YEARS BEFORE THAT, AND I ASKED
HER TODAY WHY SHE DIDN'T SPEAK UP
ABOUT IT.
>> THIS IS VIDEO OF DR. ARRUZA
TAKEN WHILE TESTIFYING IN A
MURDER TRIAL.
TESTIMONY THAT LED TO COUNTLESS
CONVICTIONS OVER HER TENURE.
BUT IN A REPORT FIRST UNRECOVERED
BY FOLIO WEEKLY LAST MONTH, SHE
ONLY STEPPED DOWN IN 2011 BECAUSE
IT APPEARED SHE WAS SUFFERING
FROM SOME TYPE OF MEMORY PROBLEM.
NOW THE I-TEAM HAS LEARNED ARRUZA
PERFORMED 452 AUTOPSIES IN HER
LAST TWO YEARS LEADING THE
JACKSONVILLE OFFICE.
DURING THE END OF THAT TIME HER
MENTAL STATE CAME INTO QUESTION
BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T REMEMBER
SIMPLE FACTS ABOUT HER RESUME AND
BECAME CONFUSED DURING
DEPOSITIONS REGARDING HOMICIDE
CASES.
STATE ATTORNEY ANGELA COREY SAYS
SHE WAS MADE AWARE OF THE
PROBLEMS AND TOOK ACTION, BUT
THAT WASN'T UNTIL THREE MONTHS
BEFORE ARRUZA RESIGNED.
NOW FOLIO WEEKLY OBTAINED THIS
DISPOSITION OF COURT RECORDS
SPELLING OUT PROBLEMS NOTICED BY
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER STAFF MUCH
EARLIER, POSSIBLY TWO TO THREE
YEARS EARLIER.
CURRENT MEDICAL EXAMINER
DR. VALERIE RAO WAS BEING
QUESTIONED ABOUT AN AUTOPSY THAT
ARRUZA PERFORMED.
THIS IS WHAT SHE SAID.
>> HOW LONG WAS DR. ARRUZA SICK
BEFORE SHE LEFT?
I WOULD SAY ABOUT -- SHE STARTED
TO DECLINE IN MAYBE EARLY 2009 OR
MAYBE EVEN LATE 2008.
>> AND WHY DO YOU SAY THAT?
BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME
OBSERVATION THAT EMPLOYEES MADE
ALONG THE WAY.
>> DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING ELSE?
>> YES.
>> WHAT DID YOU NOTICE?
FORGETFULNESS.
DR. RAO WASN'T IN TOWN TODAY BUT
I TALKED TO HER ON THE PHONE.
SHE BELIEVES THIS IS BEING BLOWN
OUT OF PROPORTION.
>> RAO SAYS IT WAS TECHNICIANS
FROM THE OFFICE THAT NOTICED
PROBLEMS EARLY ON.
BUT SINCE ARRUZA WAS THE CHIEF AT
THAT TIME, IT WASN'T QUESTIONED.
IN FACT, RAO SAYS SHE WAS
SURPRISED WHEN SHE HEARD ABOUT
THE PROBLEMS THAT CROPPED UP
LATER WITH ARRUZA.
>> STATE ATTORNEY ANGELA COREY'S
OFFICE ISSUED THIS STATEMENT THIS
AFTERNOON.
MS. COREY WAS NOT THE STATE
ATTORNEY IN 2008.
IF THE MATTER WAS BROUGHT TO THE
PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION'S
ATTENTION, IT WAS NOT RELAYED TO
MS. COREY.
THE MATTER WAS NOT BROUGHT TO
MS. COREY'S ATTENTION UNTIL
OCTOBER OF 2010 WHEN MS. COREY
BECAME AWARE OF DR. ARRUZA'S
FORGETFULNESS.
MS. COREY TOOK IMMEDIATE ACTION
AND DR. ARRUZA RETIRED.
IF DR. RAO OR OTHER MEDICAL
EXAMINER EMPLOYEES MADE ANY
OBSERVATIONS OF FORGETFULNESS IN
REGARDS TO DR. ARRUZA AS
DESCRIBED IN THIS DEPOSITION,
THEY WERE NOT BROUGHT TO
MS. COREY'S ATTENTION.
>> DURING THAT TIME, THERE WAS
ANOTHER STATE ATTORNEY AND FOLIO
WEEKLY WAS ABLE TO CONTACT HIM
THIS AFTERNOON.
AND HE IS BASICALLY SAYING HE
WASN'T AWARE OF ANY ISSUES
DR. ARRUZA AT THAT TIME.
ALSO CONTACTED THE PUBLIC
DEFENDER'S OFFICE WHOSE CASE WAS
THE ONE WHO WAS QUESTIONED IN
THIS OUGHT AUTOPSIES.
THEY ARE REVIEWING POSSIBLY 10
CASES AND WHEN I BROUGHT THIS TO
THEIR ATTENTION THEY SAY THEY MAY
HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS
TOMORROW.
WE'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CONTACT
DR. ARRUZA AT THIS POINT.
I ASKED DR. RAO IF SHE HAS
CONTACTED HER, SHE SAYS SHE HAS
NOT BEEN ABLE TO TALK TO HER
CONCERNING ANY OF THESE
ALLEGATIONS OR ANY OF THESE
PROBLEMS SINCE SHE'S LEFT THE
OFFICE.