Stealing from dead: Medical Examiner’s investigator pleads to theft

An investigator in L.A. County medical examiner’s office accused of stealing a gold crucifix from the neck of a dead man pleaded no contest to theft charges on Friday, prosecutors said.

Adrian Muñoz, 36, was responding to the death of a warehouse employee in South L.A. in January 2023 when he snatched the piece of jewelry and hid it in his medical bag, according to a statement issued by the L.A. County district attorney’s office. An investigation led to a search of Muñoz’s desk, where detectives found “rare antique coins” that belonged to a man whose death Muñoz investigated in late 2022, prosecutors said.

“There is something especially appalling about stealing from the dead. During a time when dignity and respect should be absolute, Mr. Muñoz chose greed,” Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Today’s plea is a step toward justice, but it cannot undo the additional trauma inflicted on families who were already dealing with loss.”

Under the terms of the plea, Muñoz will serve 180 days in county jail and spend two years on probation, prosecutors said. He must also pay restitution to the victims’ families and give up his right to serve as a peace officer or death investigator in California.

Emails to the medical examiner’s office and Muñoz’s attorney seeking comment were not immediately returned.