LANCASTER COUNTY CORONER’S OFFICE

MOUNTED RESPONSE UNIT

First coroner’s mounted unit in the United States.

“It’s our duty to provide thorough investigations. It’s our honor to do so with pride and integrity.”

Mission

MRU Member Login

The Lancaster County Coroner's Office Mounted Response Unit is committed to serving our community with integrity, compassion, and dedication. Our mission is to provide exceptional search, rescue, recovery, and evidence location services while conducting thorough medicolegal death investigations. We honor the bond between humans and horses by repurposing horses once deemed forsaken, transforming them into valuable partners in public safety.

We strive to foster a culture of outreach and support, engaging with veterans, survivors of domestic violence, educational institutions, nursing homes, and community events. Together, we aim to uplift and empower the people of Lancaster County, ensuring their safety and well-being. Through our unwavering commitment to service, we seek to inspire hope, forge connections, and create a legacy of compassion for all.

Leadership also includes lifelong horsewoman and veteran death case analyst Alexis Pettler, who serves as the MRU’s Deputy Coroner Director of Logistics. “I am honored to work with this incredible team under the leadership of Coroner Deese. My focus and passion has always been helping the community and those around me and this position gives me the opportunity to utilize both my death investigation and horsemanship skills.”

Our Horses: RescueeToRescuer

Along with Friesians, Gypsy Cobs, and volunteers’ personal horses, one of our primary goals is to retrain and repurpose horses from equine slaughter pipeline. Approximately 20,000 American companion horses unwillingly are thrown away and end up at low-level horse auctions where they are sold to who are commonly known in the horse world as “kill buyers”. These individuals transport the horses to holding pens or directly to our borders where they sell the horses by weight to Mexico and Canada for human consumption. Neither country humanely euthanizes America’s thrown-away horses, instead they meet a terrifyingly violent demise. Click here for more information.

The LCCO MRU was founded by Coroner Karla Deese of the Lancaster County, SC Coroner’s Office. The unit was sworn in as the first coroner’s mounted unit in the United States on January 17, 2025.

The LCCO MRU is made up of both mounted and ground-based sworn and civilian volunteers, some with decades of experience in death investigation and crime scene work.

The LCCO MRU is under the command of lifelong horsewoman and renowned homicide expert, forensic criminologist Deputy Coroner Commander Dr. Laura Pettler. “For me, the MRU is the culmination of both my passions rolled into one: horses and helping people, and as its Commander, it is my duty and one of the greatest honors of my life to serve the People of Lancaster County and South Carolina with Coroner Deese and fellow MRU volunteers.” Pettler said.

Second in command is renowned Georgia-based crime scene investigator, Law Enforcement Hall of Fame member, author, and Emmy winner, Sheryl “Mac” McCollum, founder of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute and its Wildlife CSI Academy, author of Cold Case: Pathways to Justice and Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer, who brings incredible expertise and who will serve as the MRU Deputy Coroner Assistant Commander focused on ground command. “It was an honor to serve as Director for the Crisis Response Team for the Atlanta Olympic Games Bombing, the 9-11 Crisis Response Team at the Pentagon, and now the citizens of Lancaster County as part of Coroner Deese’s MRU.” said McCollum.

Crossroads Ranch Operations Manager Todd Ellis serves as the MRU’s Deputy Coroner Director of Equine Management, “As Crossroads’ Operations Manager, it’s my job to make sure the horses are well cared for and our grounds and structures are well maintained. I look forward to bringing those skills to the MRU to help others. I am honored to serve.”

Media

Contact the MRU

There are many ways to get involved with the MRU…these are just some of the ways we moving forward so far…

Mounted Rescue & Recovery

  • Qualifications: Mounted Search and Rescue riding work is physically demanding, it requires trained skills, and stamina. Individuals who have a minimum of five years of regular horsemanship and solid riding experience, or who are accomplished riders, or trainers, etc., with no criminal record, and who have no physical limitations that would compromise their health and/or safety are welcome to apply.

    • If you do not meet the minimum qualifications for riding experience and horsemanship, you’re welcome to apply to volunteer in our Equine Management Division.

    • Don’t have a horse, but you’re an experienced rider who can walk, trot, canter, post, sit, rein back, and more? Awesome. We have MRU horses available for lease.

  • Mounted Search and Rescue Training: Mounted Search and Rescue volunteers are required to attend 50% of all offered LCCO MRU mounted trainings and 50% of all classroom trainings throughout a calendar year from January 1st to December 31st.

    • Mounted Training: 3-hour disciplined law-enforcement-type training courses held once-a-month on a Sunday afternoon. Mounted Search and Rescue Trainings are not follow-the-leader trail rides or social gatherings. Training formats are similar to clinics and group lessons, but are formal events for MRU Mounted Volunteers. Curriculum includes relaxation clinics, loading, The Ten Basics, Obstacles, Formations, and Search and Rescue education. *We do not do offer crowd control service, but we train crowd control for educational purposes.

      • Practicing Turnout: “Turnout” means how you and your horse turn out for a training. All LCCO MRU trainings are formal uniformed events giving every equine-rider team the opportunity to practice proper turn out for public events. Horses are expected to arrive clean and prepared. Equipment and tack is expected to arrive in good repair, clean, and prepared. Riders are expected to arrive clean, in uniform, and prepared. Disheveled horses and/or riders and/or faulty equipment will be required to remedy the situation before allowed to participate per Commander Pettler.

      • Socializing is not permitted during training. We welcome socializing during our Pot Luck Social Hour that follows every mounted training.

    • MRU Online Training: 2-hour online training courses held once-a-month the third Thursday of the month 6:30-8:30pm EDT.

  • Ranking System: The LCCO MRU has it’s own ranking system for all Mounted Search and Rescue Volunteers. All horses and rider certifications are approved by Deputy Coroner Commander Dr. Laura Pettler:

    • T-MSAR (Trainee Mounted Search and Rescue) - New applicants accepted to the unit who are beginning training to certify to deploy.

      • T1-MSAR (Trainee 1 Mounted Search and Rescue) - T-MSARs who have passed Certification Test 1, 30 days with the unit, plus SOP quiz

      • T2-MSAR (Trainee 2 Mounted Search and Rescue) - T-MSARs who have passed Certification Tests 1 and 2, 60 days with the unit, quizzes

      • T3-MSAR (Trainee 3 Mounted Search and Rescue) - T-MSARs who have passed Certification Tests 1, 2, and 3, 90 days with the unit, quizzes

    • C-MSAR (Certified Search and Rescue) - T3-MSARs who have passed Certification Tests 1, 2, 3, and 4 earn the new rank of C-MSAR.

      • C1-MSAR (Certified Mounted Search and Rescue) - After one year of service

      • C2-MSAR (Certified Mounted Search and Rescue) - After two years of service

      • C3-MSAR (Certified Mounted Search and Rescue) - After three years of service

    • CS-MSAR (Certified Senior Mounted Search and Rescue) - After three years of service, C3-MSARs earn the new rank of S-MSAR

  • As of September 1, 2025, Mounted Volunteers and their horses must train and pass four certification tests, complete six quizzes, train in mock searches, and take Assistant Commander McCollum’s crime scene class to achieve the rank of the LCCO MRU’s Certified Mounted Search and Rescue Volunteer (C-MSAR). Horses and riders can certify individually.

  • Certification Test 1: Trailering: loading, unloading, quick-release safety knots

  • Certification Test 2: The Basic Ten Riding Skills: Riders demonstrate they can control their horse’s front end, back end, side ways, and walk, trot, canter, halt, and back up

    • Walk, trot, canter

    • Halt, Rein back

    • Turn on the Forehand left and right

    • Turn on the Haunches left and right

    • Side Pass left and rightCertification

  • Certification Test 3: Search Patterns, Formations, and Drill

  • Certification Test 4: The LCCO MRU Timed Obstacle Course

Non-Mounted Equine Management and Deployment Support

  • Deployment Equine Management - supplies, grooming, tack, equipment, walking horses, assisting veterinarians and farriers, and more…

  • Event Equine Management - grooming, tacking, presenting horses for the public

Community Outreach

  • Schools

  • Nursing homes

  • Domestic Violence Survivors, Addiction Recovery

  • Veterans, EMS, Law Enforcement, and other First Responders

MRU Explorers Program

  • MRU Deputy Coroner Director of Logistics Alexis Pettler and her team run the MRU Explorers Program. MRU Explorers must be 14-18 years old and have parent permission to participate. MRU Explorers are not mounted searchers. They may participate in community outreach and lots of other educational and fun events.

    • Chair - Charlie Evosevich

How to Apply to Volunteer in the MRU:

  1. Come to two trainings as an observer. Then complete the following steps.

  2. Before you apply: Download this form: Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit Volunteer Background Investigation Authorization and Release to Obtain Information Form. Complete the form with a Notary. You need this form to upload with your application. You cannot apply without uploading this form with your application.

  3. Click here to open the Lancaster County Coroner's Office Mounted Response Unit Volunteer Application. Complete the form. Attach a photo of you driver’s license and your completed and notarized Lancaster County Coroner’s Office Mounted Response Unit Volunteer Background Investigation Authorization and Release to Obtain Information Form then click submit.

  4. The Coroner’s Office will be in touch with the results of your SLED Background Investigation.

Make an impact today

Support our mission by contributing a donation.

All Donations are made directly to the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office and must be specifically stated to be designated for the Mounted Response Unit.

  • Venmo All donations much be specifically marked by the donor to designate to the MOUNTED RESPONSE UNIT.

  • Checks can be made out to the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. On the check in the “memo” space please write “Designated for the MRU”and mailed to Coroner Karla Deese, LCCO, 717 South Main Street, Lancaster, SC 29720.

MSAR Educational Resources

Education, training, and experience is critical to success of everything we do. Saving lives and helping families reunite is some of the most important work in the world. Knowing what you’re doing as a MSAR helps you find more victims and helps keep you safe while searching. Mounted Search and Rescue is no different. The National Association for Search and Rescue offers tremendous opportunities for education, training, and experience. Joining NASAR is not required by the LCCO MRU, but is encouraged.

Online Courses

Books:

  • Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement (this is the text for the SAR Academy’s Crime Scene Preservation, Protocol, and Evidence Awareness)

  • Available in the NASAR Store

    • Fundamentals of SAR (FUNSAR) Textbook (this is a prerec for the SAR Academy’s Mounted Search and Rescue Certification III)

    • Analysis Of Lost Person Behavior

Links:

EBOOKS: