Saginaw County Forensic Services On Hold After Unpaid$116k Bill

The Michigan Institute of Forensic Science and Medicine will be withholding a number of services from Saginaw county after $116,390.25 in past-due payments went unpaid.

The Institute says invoices normally had been paid at the beginning of each quarter, but it had implemented a deadline of 1:30pm Friday after normal billing went out on November 9th with a due date of December 1st.

Services the institute says it will be withholding include providing Death Certificates, Medical Examiner Services, Autopsy Services, and Forensic Toxicology reports among other death related services.

The county approved a 10-year contract with the institute in 2019, and had made each payment until the most recent one on time.

Communications regarding the past due payment were made with County officials before stopping services.

The county board had previously made moves to end the relationship with the institute following the firing of medical examiner Doctor Russell Bush in November, but Controller Robert Belleman said on December 22nd the county would make a payment before the new year after claiming issues with financial software.