Lyell Cook was first elected Erie County Coroner in 1999, taking office in 2000. Before that, he had served as a Deputy Coroner in Erie County since 1984.
In his time in the Erie County Coroner’s Office, Cook has overseen more than 9,000 death investigations and autopsies for Erie County and 11 other counties.
Cook is a past president of the Pennsylvania State Coroners Association, a diplomat with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigatoers, and a member of the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners. He previously served on the Pennsylvania Coroner’s Education Board.
Cook is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in the state of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Coroner’s Academy, the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and Edinboro State College, as well as Rice Avenue Union High School in Girard.