Who Is Steve?
That’s a fair question.
Over the years I’ve been called a lot of things. Coroner. EMT. Crime Lab Director. Deputy Sheriff. Public servant. Administrator. Storyteller. Troublemaker. More than a few people have called me worse.
For more than fifty years I’ve had a front-row seat to some of the most remarkable, heartbreaking, inspiring, and downright unbelievable stories Arkansas has to offer.
I’ve stood in homicide scenes at three o’clock in the morning. I’ve ridden ambulances down two-lane roads before most people had ever heard the term EMT. I’ve investigated deaths, comforted families, testified in courtrooms, briefed governors, dealt with politicians, and spent a lifetime watching how people react when life suddenly takes a hard turn.
You can’t dance with death every day like I did for 20-something years and not learn a lot about life.
What I learned is that the most important stories are often the ones nobody is telling.
That’s why I created THE 501 CORONER.
This isn’t just a true-crime site. It isn’t just history. It isn’t just government accountability. It’s Arkansas.
The forgotten places. The back roads. The mysteries. The heroes. The scandals. The small towns. The hard questions. The stories that deserve to be remembered before they disappear.
Some stories will make you smile. Some will make you angry. Some may break your heart.
But all of them will be told with one guiding principle:
Truth Is Not Negotiable.
So pull up a chair.
We’ve got some stories to tell.
— Steve Nawojczyk