A Florida pathologist arrived here Tuesday to try to determine whether the medical examiner who signed Elvis Presley's death certificate knowingly lied about the cause of death.
The Tennessee Department of Health hired Dr. Joseph Davis, chief medical examiner for Dade County, Fla., to look at Shelby County Medical Examiner Jerry Francisco's medical records, autopsy report and other information.Francisco, who signed Presley's death certificate, said Presley died of heart disease - a theory that has been disputed since the singer's death in August 1977.
Francisco has been accused of suppressing the role that drugs played in Presley's death.
Davis said he will be looking for clear-cut evidence as to whether the death certificate is fraudulent.
"Two people can look at the same data and arrive at different opinions," he said.
"To willfully misrepresent data put on a death certificate is a violation," he said.
Davis, who said he does not plan to visit Graceland, Presley's mansion, indicated he will file his report to the state within two weeks.