Crystal Lake health care professional seeking McHenry County coroner seat

A longtime health care professional with nursing and medical forensic training has announced her candidacy for McHenry County coroner.

Republican Angela Byrnes of Crystal Lake has worked in health care for 17 years, including 11 as a registered nurse, according to a news release. She completed an additional 132.5 hours of training in medical forensic nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

Through her education, she says, she learned about evidence collection, crime scene preservation, objective reporting and effective communication, as well as the importance of working with police to investigate sexual assault cases.

Byrnes is now an executive leader at a nonprofit hospice organization, overseeing 150 employees and managing her team's daily operations, she said.

The coroner position was vacated in March by Anne Majewski, who retired to address health complications related to cancer treatment. The role has since been filled on an interim basis by sheriff's Lt. John Miller.