Officials Reach Agreement On Autopsy For 2nd Ojibwe Woman

CLOQUET, Minn. (AP) — Tribal and county government officials agreed Wednesday to avoid a full autopsy on an Ojibwe woman whose family objects on religious grounds in the second such case involving St. Louis County's chief medical examiner this week.

Autumn Martineau, 24, a member of the Fond du Lac Band, was killed Tuesday when the car in which she was a passenger was broadsided by an SUV that was carrying a high school ski team. St. Louis County's chief medical examiner, Thomas Uncini, had planned to conduct an autopsy until Martineau's family got a court order to block it Tuesday night.

It was the second time this week that an Ojibwe family persuaded the same judge to prevent Uncini from conducting an autopsy. The earlier case involved Mille Lacs Band member Mushkoob Aubid, 65, who had been in a crash Saturday but apparently died of a heart problem. The Aubid and Martineau families are related, a tribal spokesman said.

Karen Diver, chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band, said the medical examiner agreed at a meeting Wednesday to avoid invasive procedures and release Martineau's body later Wednesday. But she said the larger issue of balancing the needs of law enforcement and traditional tribal communities remained unresolved, so tribal and county officials will keep talking.

"We continue to be unhappy with the conflict resolution skills displayed by this medical examiner," Diver told The Associated Press. "We continue to believe this medical examiner might not be suited for this kind of work, lacking experience with cultural competency and diversity. He's broken the trust of tribal communities."

Uncini did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the dispute.

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