Criminal justice majors visit local morgue for inside look at death investigation procedures

WILLIAMSPORT — A criminal investigation class from Commonwealth University-Lock Haven recently got a sneak peek at the new Lycoming County Coroner facility — set to open in January — for an inclusive lesson on autopsies and death investigations.

“It was a wonderful, experiential learning experience for our students,” said Dwayne Marshall, professor of criminal justice. “They were able to apply the book content with real-life experiences.”

In addition to learning about the facility’s new state-of-the-art equipment, such as a new CT scan room that will better help determine a cause of death, the students met with deputy coroners Alexis Martin and Kassandra Houseknecht ’21, a Lock Haven alumnus. 

Houseknecht, who joined the coroner's office following a visit to the facility as a student herself enrolled in Marshall’s criminal investigation class, lectured on the processes and procedures associated with death investigations. The lecture included viewing a few corpses, the bodies of two individuals who passed from various causes, according to Marshall.