New lab will help forensic detectives work in south Georgia

SAVANNAH - A new morgue and toxicology lab in Savannah could speed investigations into suspicious deaths in south Georgia. <br> <br> The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will open a new 2,500-square-foot morgue and 6,200-square-foot lab in January at a cost of $1.6 million. <br> <br> While autopsies are performed in Savannah in many cases, police send most of their complex cases, including homicide victims, to the GBI crime lab in Decatur. <br> <br> Doing so takes longer because of traveling and scheduling. Expenses can be higher if officers travel to the Atlanta area to observe or photograph the autopsy. And communication between investigators and the doctor doing the work is limited. <br> <br> Jamie Downs, Savannah&#39;s new medical examiner, will begin performing autopsies for ten southeast Georgia counties: Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn, Camden, Charlton, Brantley, Wayne and Long. <br> <br> Eventually the new lab will handle investigations for 23 south Georgia counties, providing them with speedier lab results. <br> <br> A facility in Savannah already handles some toxicology, DNA analysis, drug identification and firearms comparison testing. <br> <br> A new lab is also slated for Augusta. That research center cost $4.1 million and is supposed to open this fall to serve 15 counties.