Garavaglia married her first husband in 1980. In 1988, she got her first job as an Associate Medical Examiner in Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida and gave birth to their first son. Garavaglia and her family moved to Georgia in 1991 where she took a job as Associate Medical Examiner for the next two years. In 1993, the family moved once again to San Antonio, Texas where Garavaglia spent the next ten years as a Medical Examiner in the Bexar County Forensic Science Center. Their second son was born during this time, in 1994. Garavaglia and her first husband later divorced in 2006, and in 2007 she married her second husband, Dr. Mark Wallace, whom she had met years earlier while attending medical school. Dr. Wallace has made several appearances on as an expert in infectious disease and internal medicine. The couple reside in Mount Vernon, WA.
Career
One of the first cases Garavaglia worked on as a medical examiner was the Morning Glory Funeral Home scandal, in which thirty-seven bodies – many in advanced stages of decomposition – were found in a funeral home. After several caskets that the funeral director had buried were exhumed, Garavaglia determined that the director had placed multiple persons in single caskets, and pocketed the money he received. Garavaglia, as an associate medical examiner in Bexar County, Texas, examined the body of Tracie McBride, and then autopsied her at the Bexar County Forensic Science Center in San Antonio, Texas; the case was covered on Dr. G. McBride was murdered by Louis Jones, who was executed by the federal government in 2003. On December 11, 2008, the remains of a small child, confirmed to be those of missing Caylee Anthony, were found near the Anthony residence in Orlando. As the location fell within Garavaglia's jurisdiction, it became Garavaglia who was the one who examined the remains and made the determination. In 2008, Garavaglia authored How Not to Die, in which she relates some of her own experiences as a medical examiner to educate readers how to better care for their health and avoid premature death. On May 18, 2012, Garavaglia delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Science Olympiad National Tournament held at the University of Central Florida. On May 15, 2015, after over two decades in the practice of forensic pathology, Garavaglia announced her retirement from the District 9 medical examiner's office, to be effective on May 28, 2015. She had previously stated that she intended to retire after their youngest son left to attend college in 2013, but ended up staying on as the chief medical examiner for District 9 for two more years. She told the local news reporter interviewing her that after her retirement she would be moving to her husband's hometown, 90 minutes north of Seattle, Washington.
''How Not to Die''
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America’s Favorite Medical Examiner is a book about safe and healthy living written by Jan Garavaglia. The book was released on October 14, 2008 by Crown Publishing, a division of Random House. Using cases from her 20 years of experience as a medical examiner, Garavaglia identifies some lifestyle and behavioral choices that may result in premature death. She also offers advice on how to be smart and pro-active about one's health. The Library Journal has called the book "surprisingly entertaining".
