Top Oakland health official's death ruled a homicide; husband died by suicide

Calandra Green, Oakland County's top public health official, is being remembered as an optimistic leader with a wicked sense of humor and a heart of gold after she was found dead Thursday in what the county officials are calling a murder followed by a suicide by her husband.

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter held a Friday afternoon press conference to talk about Green, whom he described as a barrier-breaking public health official who cared passionately about ensuring that vulnerable communities had access to public health services. 

“She was just always the first to volunteer, to raise her hand, step in and lead by example. And her staff is devastated,” Coulter told reporters outside the Oakland County Executive Building.

The 50-year-old Oakland County public health officer was found dead in her home in the 300 block of Alhambra Street in Pontiac Thursday along with her husband, Charles Quincy Green, 52, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said investigators believe Green was killed by her husband before he took his own life.

“A terrible and tragic situation that we seem to see more often these days,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement. “It’s hard to understand how someone that professes his love for another person can at some point commit such violence on them. Our prayers are with all those affected by this horrific loss.”

Green's death has been ruled a homicide by the Oakland County Medical Examiner's office, while her husband's death was ruled a suicide, the Sheriff's Office said.

Green began her tenure as the county’s health officer in April 2022, making her the first person of color to hold that role. Coulter said Green quickly became a critical part of his leadership team.

“I leaned on her for advice and support all the time, and her loss is devastating,” he said. “… On top of the grief and the sadness and the shock that I feel, I'm just really angry that someone 50 years of age in the prime of her career" has died.

“With all that she was able to accomplish, for not just me and us here, but to the residents of Oakland County, it's a tragedy, and it's a loss that is going to be really difficult.” 

According to the Oakland County executive, Green was the primary point person for the county’s work on mental health services for the Oxford community in the wake of the deadly high school shooting there in November 2021. In response to the outbreak of monkeypox in the summer of 2022, Green created a task force to make sure the needs of vulnerable communities affected by the virus were addressed.

In 2021, Oakland University recognized Green with the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Community Nursing.

Coulter said Leigh-Anne Stafford, the county's current director of health and human services and the former public health officer, will take on the role in the interim. But Green will be hard to replace, he said, noting that she had been “the perfect person” for the job. 

Deputies found the bodies of Green and her husband around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday while performing a welfare check. Colleagues became concerned when Green did not show up for work on Thursday, something they said was out of character, Coulter said. Two of her family members went to Green's home to check on her and immediately recognized something was wrong. When first responders arrived on the scene, Green and her husband were found dead inside.

There was no prior indication of any problems at home, according to Coulter, who said the couple had been married for just a few years.

"That's been part of what's so shocking about this is that that we had no clue, and her co-workers had no clue. ... From what we knew of Calandra, she was still a happy bride," he said.

Police recovered a handgun at the scene, and the case is currently under investigation. Law enforcement officials have not identified a motive for the shooting.

North and South county health clinics were closed Friday "to allow our employees time to grieve and seek support from each other and counselors as they process this devastating news,” Coulter said.

Green joined the county as a public health nurse in August 2019. As the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020, she became the Oakland County Health Division’s quality and process improvement supervisor, officials said.

Among her duties was serving as the COVID-19 school nurse liaison. She also hired, trained and deployed 68 nurses to 28 public school districts and 125 private or charter schools, according to Coulter.

In May 2021, she became administrator of public health, developing and managing comprehensive countywide programs.

When known as Calandra Anderson, she worked for McLaren Health Care in Pontiac from 2007-18. There, she rose from manager of patient care services to vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer, Oakland County said.

“While at McLaren Oakland, Calandra was a bright spot in the day for those who worked with her," McLaren spokesman Matt Jones said in a Friday statement. "During her time with us, her capacity to care and serve the needs of patients demonstrated to others what it meant to truly be a caregiver."

“It was our privilege to know Calandra and work by her side, and our hearts go out to her family and all those who loved her.”

From 1993-2007, she worked for North Oakland Medical Centers in Pontiac. She was manager of obstetrics and the neonatal intensive care unit from 2004-07.

Green held degrees from Oakland University, Baker College and Oakland Community College, the county said.

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