Five Fast Facts On Law & Order: SVU Medical Examiner Melinda Warner

As a medical examiner for the New City Police Department, Dr. Melinda Warner has spoken for the dead for over two decades. But just how much do you really remember about this tried and true, professional and personable Law & Order: SVU character?

Melinda Warner — Her Family Ties

Though she has never provided names, Warner has made frequent mention of a husband, a daughter (born in 1991), and a sister who works as a buyer at Saks. She also has a dog, Petey.

Career Trajectory

In order to pay off her medical school debt, Warner enlisted in the United States Air Force and served two tours during the Gulf War. Upon leaving the military, Warner took up the post of Assistant Medical Examiner for the NYPD.

The Medical Examiner Shuffle

By the year 2000, Warner had graduated to the rank of Medical Examiner which resulted in her being assigned to the 16th Precinct (which housed the Special Victim’s Unit) in order to replace outgoing M.E. Elizabeth Rodgers.

Handle With Care

During her time in the Air Force, Warner received extensive training in the use of firearms – a skill which Warner was forced to reacquaint herself with when she and Elliot Stabler were held hostage inside a bank. After being provided with Eliot’s secondary weapon, Warner was forced to shoot her captor in the leg in order to prevent him from committing suicide by cop.

Risky Business At Law & Order: SVU

In a case of history repeating itself, Melinda Warner was once again taken hostage by a mentally ill and grieving mother – though she endured her second confinement alongside SVU detective Olivia Benson and Assistant District Attorney Joe Marlowe.

When the perpetrator lashed out and fired her weapon, it was Warner who was hit and critically wounded. She managed to talk Olivia through a procedure that staved off the specter of death and was eventually allowed to be removed from the area.

Upon recovery, Warner immediately returned to her post and continued to dispense her hard earned knowledge. When one of her rulings was brought into question by Stabler and Olivia, she was quick to remind them that, “I was shot in the lung, not the head.”

It looks like Law & Order: SVU is tentatively scheduled to return to NBC’s Thursday night lineup on November 12, 2020. Check your local listings for airtimes.