Coroner

Amber Constantino received a degree in nursing from Good Samaritan in 1999. Prior to joining the Kenton County Coroner’s Office, she worked at St. Elizabeth Healthcare as a Forensic Nurse Examiner providing care for victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, elder abuse, child abuse, and interpersonal violence. As a forensic nurse, each patient contact requires the use of triage skills as well as an extensive history and physical examination. She also continued her education and received a Bachelor’s Degree from Northern Kentucky University in 2018.

Constantino was appointed Deputy Coroner in 2020 where she is responsible for investigating deaths, collecting and examining history of the decedent, documenting normal and abnormal findings, identifying human remains, supervising the transportation of corpses, operating crime scene equipment, completing death certificates, and notifying next of kin. She received her Certification in Death Investigation from the Online University of North Dakota.

Kayla Buckley received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Northern Kentucky University, and has been working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as a Registered Nurse since 2011 following graduation.  This included time as a Forensic nurse in the Mayerson Center for safe and healthy children and the Emergency Department, specializing in trauma informed care, physical abuse, medical child abuse, neglect, evidence collection, including the trauma bay and sexual assaults, human trafficking, and post mortem care and management following a death.  

Kayla continued her education at Xavier University obtaining a dual Masters degree in Forensic Nursing and Criminal Justice, graduating in 2020.  She received her Death Investigation Certification from the Online University of North Dakota in 2023.  She became a Deputy Coroner for Kenton County in 2023.

Don Catchen is a lifelong resident of Northern Kentucky.  He graduated from Dixie Heights High School in 1984 and after high school he attended Northern Kentucky University. Soon after, he enrolled into Cincinnati College of Mortuary Service and graduated in 1990. 

Through the years he has been a Custom Coachbuilder, an Embalmer, and in 2014 a Livery Transporter. He has worked with Kenton and Boone Counties since 1980 and also worked with Hamilton County from1986 to 2004.  

His funeral home history started in 1991 when his father began Don Catchen & Son Funeral Homes. He is the past president of the Northern Kentucky Funeral Directors Association and a member of the Colonel Clay Lodge. 

He has four amazing children: James, Jordan, Jacob, and Mckenzie. He will be completing the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training Program in January 2023. This course covers topics such as investigative information, medical/legal death investigation history, crime scene investigation, photography and mass fatality response.   He is looking forward to serving my community and Coroner’s office.

Ron has served as a Kenton County Deputy Coroner for 25 years and has been involved with the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office for 20 years.

• U.S.N. Hospital Corps School
• U.S.M.C. Field Medical Service School

1966 Corpsman Third Battalion Fourth Marines Vietnam Trauma Triage Medical Evacuation. Combat wounded.

1967 Medical support Battalion second battalion third marines Vietnam. Trauma triage surgical support medical evacuation mortuary affairs. 

• Cincinnati College Mortuary School
• St. Louis Medical school program forensic medicine
• Associate Allison & Rose funeral homes 50+ years

Christina has been with the Kenton County Coroner’s Office since 2019.

Her primary responsibilities include providing office support to the Coroner and Deputy Coroners, managing the monthly schedule, recording deaths (electronic filing system), receiving and filing autopsy and toxicology reports, scheduling appointments with family and firms, interacting with other agencies (police, fire, funeral homes, etc.), and responding to problems via phone or email.

Jim is a lifelong resident of Kenton County. He graduated from Dixie Heights High School. He was a member of the Covington Fire Department for 28 years and served as an EMT and Paramedic, which including being responsible for an ambulance. He was a certified American Heart Association C.P.R. instructor as well as a Kentucky State Fire Service Instructor. He taught and recertified EMT’s for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He also assisted the pathologist at the hospital on autopsies. For 15 years, he was a Police Specialist for the City of Taylor Mill and received his Law Enforcement certification from Northern Kentucky University. 

He has served as a Deputy Coroner for 39 years and Chief Deputy for 30 years. He received his Coroner certification at Eastern Kentucky University and has been an advanced and master coroner since 2005, the highest certification that can be achieved in the Coroner's Office.

Joseph is a lifetime resident of Kenton County. He attended Covington Catholic High School and the University of Kentucky. In 1970, he joined the Covington Police Department and retired in 1995 as Chief of Police. He worked as a Paramedic for St. Elizabeth (1995-2005) and then as a Field Medic for the Independence Fire Department (2005-2016). He also taught for twenty years as a part-time adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati teaching law enforcement and pre-hospital care.

Joseph became a Deputy Coroner in 2016. He's received training through Kentucky Law Enforcement, the University of Eastern Kentucky, the University of Virginia and the FBI.