Coroners or Medical examiners are typically requested by law enforcement or medical personnel after a death is reported. This can be due to sudden or suspicious circumstances, or it is related to an accident, suicide or homicide. When a doctor cannot determine or certify the cause of death, it will be turned over to the Coroners office.
If a death occurs outside the care of a doctor or natural causes, investigators will document the scene of death and record any evidence that would help determine the cause of death. Then the deceased is transported to a medical facility where they will be received, assigned a case number, and stored in a refrigerated unit until there is an examination or autopsy. After the examination and cause of death is determined, the coroner or medical examiner will sign the death certificate and release the body, along with personal property, to a funeral home or mortuary as directed by the next of kin. At that time, the funeral director can then proceed with funeral arrangements and burial or cremation.
The legal next of kin may request a copy of the autopsy report from the coroner’s office to find out about the decedent’s manner of death.
A coroner or medical examiner is responsible for examining, determining, and certifying the cause of death. This death investigation may include an external examination, internal organ examination, and may require toxicology or other forensic science tests. A medical examiner may perform the autopsy themselves, while a coroner’s investigation involves ordering a forensic scientist to perform the autopsy.
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