SEATTLE - Hundreds of times a year, the King County Medical Examiner's Office examines the bodies of people who've died and tries to figure out what killed them.

"We do really important work that affects a lot of people and our staff is not going to do anything that's disrespectful to the bodies," said James Apa, spokesperson for the King County Health Department.

But photos obtained by the KING 5 Investigators show human remains left uncovered in boxes on the floor and on carts -- next to trash and cleaning equipment and exposed to insects and dirt.

It violates the policy we found in an internal e-mail that reads: "... we will not have bodies placed on the floor."

Former King County death investigator Don Halberg says this disrespect for remains is longstanding. 

"I used to be a cop and there's something that's not right in there," he said.

When he worked in the office, there was a weekly "awful and disgusting" award of $10 for the most disgusting picture of a body.

"These are your loved ones," Halberg said. "These are your wives, sisters, brothers, these are their remains."

Some of the practices going on at the morgue are so bizarre they're hard to believe. KING 5 has learned that for years, Chief Medical Examiner Richard Harruff has been paying his employees to provide personal semen samples. 

"I was floored when I heard about that," Halberg said. "It defies anything I've ever heard of.'"

In a box labeled "My Anonymous Specimen," employees would find a $20 bill and a cup. KING 5 is told the sperm was used as comparison samples for fluids collected from bodies in homicide investigations. 

KING

For years, the chief medical examiner paid his employees to provide personal semen samples. In a box labeled "My Anonymous Specimen," employees would find a $20 bill and a cup. KING 5 asked three different medical examiners across the country if they'd ever heard of such a practice. They all said no.

LINDA: "When your boss asks you to do this, doesn't it put you in a very difficult situation?"

JAMES APA: "This is something that's been made very clear to employees, it was voluntary and that was anonymous. So there was never an expectation that any employees, that they need to participate in this and has a legitimate scientific need."

But we asked three different medical examiners across the country if they'd ever heard of such a practice. They all said no, and in fact, they were shocked. After we started asking questions, the health department, which oversees the ME's office, stopped the practice.

"It's something that we are, that we have suspended," Apa said. "And if, when, we need semen samples, in the future we're going to go to a lab to get them."

There are environmental concerns too. Sources tell KING 5 a toxic compound called formalin, used to preserve bodies, was often dumped down the drain in the autopsy suite. The lead environmental investigator for King County Hazardous Waste says if that's happening, it's illegal.

LINDA: "So there is no a gray area?

DAVE WADDELL, lead environmental investigator: "Not in King County. You are not allowed to discharge untreated formalin down the drain." 

LINDA: "Period?"

WADDELL: "Period."

Apa told KING 5: "In terms of the specific allegations that you're mentioning, that's part of the ongoing investigation."

That investigation started after autopsy technician Robinette Struckel filed a complaint three months ago, just before she resigned.

The health department confirms it is now investigating the medical examiners office for a number of things, including:

-Improper storage and/or disposal of human tissues

-Improper changes to investigative databases

-And failure to follow quality assurance protocols, including letting frozen tissue samples thaw.

Halberg says he was forced to leave the ME's office in 2003 after he spoke out. He sued and lost.

He is one of seven employees who have left in the past five years, claiming sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and retaliation. The cost to taxpayers to investigate and settle these claims is at least $200,000. 

"I think it should be reassuring that when people make allegations in the office or about the office that we look into them," Apa said. "We take them seriously and if there are any problems we make corrections."

The chief medical examiner wouldn't answer our questions, instead we were referred to Apa - the public information officer for the public health department. And we weren't allowed inside to see for ourselves what the conditions are like.

No one will give us a deadline for when the investigation will be completed. The allegations were referred to the King County Prosecutor's office for investigation, but they work so closely with King County Medical Examiner's Office, they had to hire an outside lawyer to do it.

Update:

Since our story aired in November, the county's outside investigator issued her report, which concludes there's insufficient evidence to prove allegations of improper governmental action. But, the King County Ombudsman's office isn't satisfied and is asking for more information.  That office will issue its own findings following further investigation.