Inside The Career Of a Death Investigator
5/18/202641 min
We talk with legendary NYC death investigator Barbara Butcher about what it really takes to walk into a death scene, read the evidence, and help the dead get justice. We also get honest about the human cost, the pay, and what she learned from 23 years and more than 5,500 investigations. Barbara shares the realities of forensic investigation, the emotional toll of the job, how people enter this career field, and how much death investigators can make in cities like New York and across the U.S.
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Connect with Barbara Butcher:
Instagram - @butcher.barbara
X - @OCMEForensics - https://x.com/OCMEForensics
Facebook Page - @barbarabutcherofficial - https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraButcherOfficialPage/
Website: https://www.barbarabutcherofficial.com/
Barbar's book: What The Dead Know →
Netflix Series: Homicide New York →
Watch Barbara on Oxygen’s new true-crime series: “The Death Investigator with Barbara Butcher” →
"How Much Can I Make?" Is nominated for 2026 Women in Podcasting Award!
Music credit: Kate Pierson & Monica Nation
Clips
Showing 10 of 11Transcript preview
First 90 secondsBarbara Butcher· Guest0:00
[gentle music] A very wealthy man died at home. In his bed, there was insulin, a syringe, and he was a diabetic, so it was okay that he had insulin, but there was a little scrap of paper next to him on the bed that just said, "Sorry."
Mirav Ozeri· Host0:17
[gentle music] Hi, welcome back to How Much Can I Make?, the podcast about jobs and careers. I'm your host, Mirva Azeri. Before we get into today's episode, I want to mention that next week's show will be about music sync, how songs get placed in movies, TV shows, commercials, streaming. So if you're thinking about a career in music or wondering how people actually make money in the industry, definitely check that one out. But today, we're talking death, [laughs] literally. My guest, Barbara Butcher, spent 23 years investigating over 5,500 death scenes in New York City. She worked Ground Zero after 9/11 and wrote a memoir about it all. She's a death investigator, author with TV shows on Netflix, Oxygen, and soon, hopefully, NBC. And honestly, that was the most fascinating conversation I've had on this show. So let's hear it from Barbara. What is it like being a death investigator? [gentle music] Thank you very much for coming on the show.
Barbara Butcher· Guest1:24
Oh, it's my pleasure.
Mirav Ozeri· Host1:26
And let's start by telling us what is a death investigator,