{"id":3057,"date":"2026-06-30T20:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3057"},"modified":"2026-06-30T20:11:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:11:01","slug":"forensic-pathologist-casey-bitting-chose-to-succeed-kelly-lear-as-arapahoe-coroner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3057","title":{"rendered":"Forensic pathologist Casey Bitting chose to succeed Kelly Lear as Arapahoe coroner"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><strong>AURORA<\/strong> | The Arapahoe County commission on Tuesday appointed forensic pathologist Dr. Casey Bitting as the county\u2019s next coroner following the retirement of longtime Coroner Dr. Kelly Lear.<\/p>\n<p>The appointment takes effect July 2. Bitting will serve the remainder of Lear\u2019s term through January 2027. A Democrat, she is also the sole candidate for the office in the November 2026 election.<\/p>\n<p><p>Bitting has been a forensic pathologist with the Arapahoe office since 2018. Lear retired Tuesday after more than two decades of service to the county, including 12 years as its elected coroner.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>Commission Chairperson Leslie Summey said Bitting\u2019s medical credentials and years of experience with the office prepared her to assume the leadership role.<\/p>\n<p>She said Bitting would continue the office\u2019s mission of serving families, supporting the justice system and conducting death investigations.<\/p>\n<p>Bitting completed a forensic pathology fellowship at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland after obtaining her medical degree in Osteopathic Medicine from Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She also completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to conducting forensic examinations, Bitting has been active in research, medical education and professional organizations. She serves as an attending physician for medical students, pathology residents and forensic pathology fellows and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. She is a member of the National Association of Medical Examiners, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the College of American Pathologists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Coroner\u2019s Office has an exceptional team dedicated to serving families with professionalism, compassion, and integrity,\u201d Bitting said in a statement. \u201cI look forward to building on Dr. Lear\u2019s legacy while continuing to provide the highest standard of medicolegal death investigation for our amazing community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lear joined the Arapahoe County Coroner\u2019s Office as a forensic pathologist in 2004 and was elected coroner in 2014. Summey credited her with strengthening the office, advancing the practice of forensic pathology and helping provide answers to families during difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3051\">Sweltering Midwest heat cancels outdoor plans as cooling centers open and the East braces<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3053\">Venezuelans search more earthquake ruins as attention turns to humanitarian crisis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3055\">Trump administration\u2019s Title IX enforcement questioned in Colorado school cases<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AURORA | The Arapahoe County commission on Tuesday appointed forensic pathologist Dr. Casey Bitting as the county\u2019s next coroner following the retirement of longtime Coroner Dr. Kelly Lear. The appointment takes effect July 2. Bitting will serve the remainder of Lear\u2019s term through January 2027. A Democrat, she is also the sole candidate for the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[1646,4929,4930,4931,3613],"class_list":["post-3057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-arapahoe-county","tag-dr-casey-bitting","tag-dr-kelly-lear","tag-forensic-pathology-fellowship","tag-leslie-summey"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Forensic pathologist Casey Bitting chose to succeed Kelly Lear as Arapahoe coroner - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=3057\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forensic pathologist Casey Bitting chose to succeed Kelly Lear as Arapahoe coroner - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AURORA | The Arapahoe County commission on Tuesday appointed forensic pathologist Dr. Casey Bitting as the county\u2019s next coroner following the retirement of longtime Coroner Dr. Kelly Lear. 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