BOSTON -- The state's chief medical examiner was removed from his duties Thursday night after his office admitted losing a body.

NewsCenter 5's Steve Lacy reported that the individual, a 49-year-old from the Yarmouth, Mass., was transported to the Boston facility on April 23. An autopsy was performed the following day. When the doctor went to re-examine the body, it was gone.

State police were helping officials search for the body. Workers spent five days trying to find the body before telling their boss, according to the Boston Herald.

Gov. Deval Patrick directed the Executive Office of Public Safety to remove Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mark Flomenbaum from his duties effective immediately.

"It is paramount that the family of this individual be provided the facts of this case and to have the remains of their loved one for closure. The governor and I are horrified by this apparent failure to perform the most basic of duties in this important agency. It is critical that all citizens of Massachusetts have confidence in the operation of this vital office," said Kurt N. Schwartz, undersecretary for Law Enforcement and Fire Services, who is serving as Acting Secretary of Public Safety.

Public Safety spokesman Charles McDonald said the body was sent to the medical examiner's office from Cape Cod. The person was not identified.

In 2005, then-Gov. Mitt Romney brought Flomenbaum to Boston from New York. Patrick ordered a top-to-bottom review of the state medical examiner's office. It will be performed by the Virginia-based company that is conducting a similar review of state police crime lab.