Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffery Gofton quits after less than 18 months

Alberta is again searching for a chief medical examiner. Dr. Jeffery Gofton quit after less than 18 months on the job at the troubled Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Alberta (OCME.)

Alberta Justice has confirmed to CBC News that Gofton — who assumed the position in March 2015 — is returning to his native United States.

"It is with a heavy heart that I am leaving this excellent office, but it is time that I return home and assist a medical examiner system that I hold very dear to my heart,"  Gofton said in an emailed statement issued by Alberta Justice.

Gofton did not respond to an interview request from CBC News.

The statement said he will leave the office this summer and will be replaced on an interim basis by his deputy, Dr. Elizabeth Brooks-Lim.

It is with a heavy heart that I am leaving this excellent office, but it is time that I return home and assist a medical examiner system that I hold very dear to my heart.- Dr. Jeffery Gofton

This isn't the first time Gofton has left a high-profile medical job. 

The Daily Oklahoman newspaper said Gofton resigned as that state's chief medical examiner in 2008 because he said he felt "criminalized and demonized" and was being forced out of his position by politicians and law enforcement officials.  

He worked in Virginia before being recruited to Alberta where he worked as assistant chief medical examiner from January 2013 until his appointment to the top job in March 2015.

Gofton replaced Dr. Anny Sauvageau, who has sued Alberta Justice for more than $5 million, alleging her contract was not renewed after she stood up to political interference in the operation of the OCME. The allegations in Sauvageau's lawsuit have not been proven in court.

A recent report from Alberta's Public Interest Commissioner concluded Sauvageau had been treated unfairly by Justice officials and, in part, used complaints they knew were unsubstantiated to justify not renewing her contract — even as they immediately dismissed her allegations of political interference without investigating them.

The report said records showed there was even an attempt to solicit complaints and comments about Sauvageau from both inside and outside the department.

It is not known when a replacement for Gofton will be named. Alberta Justice spokesman Dan Laville said only that it would be done in "due course."

@charlesrusnell @jennierussell_