The recent discovery of what was initially thought to be an explosive device on a body brought to Indianapolis for examination could indicate more trouble at a neighboring county’s coroner office already wracked by recent upheaval.
“God was looking out for everyone on the scene and at the Marion County Coroner’s Office,” Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt wrote before the object was determined to be debris from a car crash.
On Oct. 3, the Marion County Coroner’s Office called police about a suspected explosive on the body of Marco Peña Morales, 30, who had died two days earlier after an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department chase ended in a fiery crash near Franklin, over the Johnson County line.
In a news release, Pruitt said the “condition of the vehicle and decedent did make the scene more difficult.”
Although deaths are typically investigated in the counties where they occurred, Johnson County handed the case over to Marion County. Pruitt said that request was made because the chase began in Indianapolis.
The resignation of one-third of the county’s deputy coroners on the day Peña Morales died may also have contributed to the confusion that led to the call-out of the bomb squad early Oct. 3 in Marion County.
Why did five deputy coroners resign from the Johnson County Coroner’s Office?
Oct. 1 was Pruitt’s first day back in the office following a weeks-long absence. In September, Fox59 broke the news that police were investigating the coroner’s interactions with a 17-year-old girl.
Former chief deputy coroner Derek Wilson said that although some of his colleagues wanted to resign as soon as the allegations surfaced, it was initially unclear if Pruitt would return. But once he resumed his duties, Wilson and four other deputy coroners tendered their resignations.
The investigation came to public attention after the girl’s mother filed a protective order against Pruitt in August, accusing him of stalking her daughter. She said that Pruitt sent her daughter inappropriate, unwanted text messages, sent her money and bought her alcohol. The petition also alleged he had offered the girl THC gummies and filmed her and a friend while they were intoxicated in a hotel.
Due to Pruitt’s role in the community, a special judge from outside the county was asked to intervene. Shelby County Judge David Riggins granted the order.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office referred the case to the Indiana State Police, Sheriff Duane Burgess said in an email to IndyStar.
A spokesperson for the Indiana State Police declined to comment on the pending investigation.
No criminal charges have been filed against Pruitt at the time of publication. On Oct. 1, Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner filed a motion seeking a special prosecutor in connection with the case. An attorney for Pruitt did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pruitt was elected as Johnson County’s coroner in 2020 and took office in 2021. He also served as the deputy chief of the Bargersville Fire Department until he was placed on leave in June 2025. That leave of absence was related to an insensitive comment made at a crime scene, and not the current allegations, Fox59 reported.
Following his staffers’ resignation, Pruitt released a statement that his office already had applicants to fill the vacancies and would continue to carry out its duties.
“We will continue to work with agencies involved as the investigation moves forward,” Pruitt wrote Oct. 3. “We review all cases in our office to assure quality control.”
The man who served as Pruitt’s second-in-command until Oct. 1 was shocked that the object, later determined to be a melted auto part, went unnoticed for so long.
“I have seen a lot of things in 18 years. I will not sit here and tell you I’ve seen it all,” former chief deputy coroner Derek Wilson said. “But I have talked to people today about this situation that have been employed for 30 plus years who have never heard of anything like this. This is not normal.”
Pruitt’s term as coroner is set to end in 2028.
Ryan Murphy is the communities reporter for IndyStar. She can be reached at rhmurphy@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘Suspected explosive’ latest in line of troubles for Johnson Co. Coroner