Death and Texas

Ric Ortiz reflects on his work as the chief medical investigator for Nueces County, and the ways it has influenced his worldview.

Jules Taylor

Philippe Turpin / Getty Images

Max is traveling for The Real News Network, so Working People producer Jules Taylor decided to interview his stepfather, Ric Ortiz, about his career as a death investigator and paramedic. In many ways, Ortiz feels that he was meant to work around death. He grew up across the street from a cemetery, and his first job as a young boy was assisting the local grave digger.

Ortiz would go on to work as the chief medical investigator for Nueces County, Texas, for 20 years. In this special episode, we speak with him about the events in his life that lead to his career, and the way working around death influences the way one sees the world.

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Jules Taylor is a musician and the host of the No Easy Answers, a podcast about politics, philosophy, and the human condition. He is based in Woodstock, NY.

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