A younger Jonathan Lucas, the one still in medical school in the 1990s, was leaning toward becoming a family doctor, maybe even a surgeon. But something about forensic science and field investigation intrigued him. Pathology, he would come to realize, was his path. His focus is on the dead.
In the decades since, Dr. Lucas has handled or supervised nearly 5,000 autopsies, including two 2011 deaths linked to a Coronado home in a case that became one of the region’s most high-profile mysteries.
He trained as a forensic pathologist in New York and spent three weeks processing the remains of victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He’s been to several death scenes and has testified as an expert in criminal and civil proceedings.
Now, Lucas, who spent the lion’s share of his career in the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, has been tapped for the top job as the chief medical examiner.
The county announced last week that he will take over for retiring Medical Examiner Dr. Steven Campman, who spent 24 years with the department, leading it for the last four years. Lucas, who most recently was second-in-command at the office, says he and the retiring Campman “shared a lot of the same ideas, ideals, work ethic, so we weren’t that much different.”
The Medical Examiner’s Office, with a budget this year of $21.2 million and staff of 78, handles investigations of unnatural, unexpected, violent and sudden deaths in the county, a job meant to help track public health risks. It handles roughly 4,000 death investigations a year. The vast majority are natural deaths, accidents or suicides.
In recent years, the department struggled to keep up with its caseload, primarily due to a surge in unintentional fentanyl-related deaths, which jumped from 151 deaths recorded in 2019 to more than 800 two years later. The increase created a backlog that forced families, police and attorneys to wait months for autopsy reports.
But that backlog is now cleared, Lucas said this week. “We’ve really made just gobs of progress, and are really more or less in a stable position now,” he said.
Lucas said much of the backlog was in toxicology testing, but positions were added, and now staffing levels are 30% higher than in 2022. The department also contracted an outside company to get caught up, and that work is complete. The average turnaround time for toxicology results is now two to four months.
And the department is expecting to upgrade its toxicology testing equipment. A state grant and county funding will help buy new equipment for the toxicology laboratory that a county spokesman said will help it detect a wider range of drugs in smaller sample sizes and increase testing sensitivity. The expectation is more accurate results and an even faster turnaround time.
Drug deaths overall are down in the county, as well, decreasing 20% from 2023 to 2024. Fentanyl deaths specifically declined by 30%, according to an office spokesperson.
Lucas began working for San Diego County in 2001, holding jobs as deputy and chief deputy medical examiner, the second-in-command. Perhaps the most high-profile autopsies that Lucas is known for conducting were those of 6-year-old Max Shacknai and 32-year-old Rebecca Zahau in the mysterious Coronado Spreckels mansion case of 2011.
Max fell from the second floor of the mansion and died five days later from his injuries; Zahau, the girlfriend of Max’s father, pharmaceutical mogul Jonah Shacknai, was found hanging, bound and gagged at the mansion two days after Max’s fall.
Lucas’ autopsies concluded that Max’s death was an accident and Zahau’s death was suicide. Those conclusions were heavily disputed by others, including Zahau’s family, but Lucas and other county officials stood by the autopsies’ findings. Lucas recalled later in an interview that he initially thought the case was a homicide, but the investigation took him to a different conclusion.
In 2017, Lucas was hired to be the medical examiner-coroner in Los Angeles County, where he oversaw a staff of 250 people and served a county with a population of 10 million.
Five years later, Lucas returned to San Diego County to serve again in the No. 2 spot before his recent elevation. Lucas’ salary will be $443,940.
Lucas earned a medical degree from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. He completed a residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at UCLA Medical Center, as well as fellowship training in forensic pathology at New York City’s medical examiner’s office, according to the county.
“Dr. Lucas brings a depth of expertise and leadership that makes him exceptionally well-suited for this role,” Andrew Strong, the deputy chief of the County istrative Office who oversees public safety, said in a statement. “His experience in both San Diego and Los Angeles counties, along with his focus on innovation, training, and public health, will be a tremendous asset as we continue to strengthen the work of the Medical Examiner’s Office.”
