About Dotti Owens
Ada County Coroner“I am blessed to have been designated with the honor of speaking for our deceased.” Dotti
Background
Dotti was raised in Jerome, Idaho with a family that loved to work in Public Service. Her parents were very active in the community throughout the Magic Valley. Dotti graduated from Jerome High School in 1995. She would later attend the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls for her associate’s, Boise State for her bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Administration and Anthropology, and Arizona State for her master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration.
Dotti has been a resident of Ada County since 2010 when she was recruited by the previous Coroner, Erwin Sonnenberg as a Medicolegal Death Investigator. Dotti and her Fiancé Martin Van Horn reside in Meridian, with two of her four children. She is active in her community promoting suicide prevention and overdose prevention programs that she brought to Ada County.
Career Experience
Ada County Coroner, Ada County Coroner’s Office (ACCO) – January 2015 to Current
Dotti has extensive knowledge in all divisions of the office and has led the Ada County Coroner’s Office to become one of the best in the nation. She has all the necessary experience and qualifications to continue to move Ada County forward, not only within the State of Idaho but the nation as well. With Dotti’s years of knowledge and hands-on experience, Ada County will retain all accreditations and the ability to seek grant funding, saving the taxpayers the fiscal burden.
Investigation Certification/ Training
American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS); Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Toxicology of Illicit Fentanyl and Emerging Opioids * Ohio’s Assertive Approach to Scheduling Opioids and Fentanyl Analogs * The Making of an Opioid Crisis in America
Idaho State Association of County Coroners (ISACC); Pharmaceutical Training * Mass Fatality and Forest Service * FBI Mass Fatality School Shooting Exercise * Child Pattern Injury Investigation, Abuse and Torture Certificate * Investigation of Suspicious Burn Injuries and Torture * Infant/Child Death Investigation
International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME); Advanced Medicolegal Death Investigation and Forensics Certification * Accreditation for the Ada County Coroner’s Office
Saint Louis University School of Medicine-American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI) Registered Medicolegal Death Investigator – Registry #1744 – 2011 Diplomat * ABMDI Masters Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Certificate * Masters 17 for Advanced Death Investigators * ABMDI Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Certificate *
Public Agency Training Council
Department of Defense; Anthropology and Remains Recovery
SUDI/Infant Death Homicide
Mass Fatality Preparedness
Boise Airport Mass Fatality Training
NACo (National Association of Counties) ; Leadership Class Graduate
Multiple Additional Training and Certifications Pre-2015.
Professional Organizations / Memberships
Current Leadership Roles
American Academy of Forensic Science, Medicolegal Death Investigations Standards Workgroup
National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), Full Office Accreditation since 2017
National Association of Counties (NACo), Healthy Counties Initiative Board, Health and Human Services Co-Chair, Women of NACO, Human Services and Education Steering Committee
International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME) Accredited, Executive Board Member, Accreditation Committee Chair and Fellow
Idaho State Association of Counties; Vice President, Exe. Board Member, Legislative Committee
Society of Medicolegal Death Investigators (SOMDI), Active Member
American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators (ABMDI), Diplomat
Idaho State Association of County Coroners, Secretary, Executive Board Member, Education Committee Legislative Representative
TIP Trauma Intervention Prevention 2015 – Present
The Governor’s Task Force on Children At Risk 2016 – Present
Idaho Child Fatality Review Team Member
Education
M.A. Criminology/Criminal Justice Administration
B.A. Criminal Justice Administration & Anthropology (m)
Leading with Compassion, Professionalism, and Experience. Q&A with Dotti Owens.
Realize that this position is a matter of life and death, working for the living, by serving the deceased. Our staff are NOT "Worker Bee's" but are compassionate, professional, and knowledgable within their specialty. Please, do your homework.