our history

The formation of the Ventura County Coroner’s Office coincides with the formation of the county itself in 1873.  The first coroner was Dr. Cephas L. Bard (1873). 

In 1974, more than 100 years later, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors abolished the Office of the Coroner and established the Medical Examiner system in Ventura County (VCMEO).

The current VCMEO facility was completed in 1996 on the footprint of the Ventura County Medical Center Campus (VCMC).

In July of 2019, the VCMEO became an independent agency recognizing this independence as a way to improved death investigation within the county; a model which is unique within the state and which we hope will serve as an ideal example for other counties.