The post has been vacant since the mid-1990s, but Mississippi officials say they are moving closer to hiring a state medical examiner.

“It is progressing,” said Sam Howell, director of the State Crime Lab. “They are looking at some candidates to be interviewed.”

Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson said in August that the state planned to hire a medical examiner for the $200,000-a-year position.

Dr. Michael Baden, world-renowned pathologist and former chief medical examiner for New York City, noted that salaries for medical examiners have increased greatly in recent decades but that $200,000 should be enough because Mississippi has a lower cost of living.