Upon the report of a death, a death investigator will complete a scene investigation, including the medical history of the deceased and the events leading up to their death. The coroner will determine the cause of death (condition or injury, brief or prolonged leading to death), and the manner of death (natural, accident, homicide, suicide or undetermined).
Any person having knowledge of a human death must report it to law enforcement by calling 911. The location of the death must not be tampered, destroyed, moved or cleaned. The death investigator will examine the body for identification, signs of disease, injuries or intervention.
Deaths meeting any of these criteria become the jurisdiction of the Coroner's Office:
- Suspected to have been the result of violence
- Caused by unlawful means
- Occurring from injuries that could be considered criminal, with or without law enforcement involvement
- Suicide
- When decedent was not regularly attended by a licensed physician
- Occurring in any suspicious or unusual manner, when in police custody/detention facility
- Held to be in public interest
- Decedent is under the age of 18, including fetal deaths
- Occurring within 24 hours of admission to a hospital or following surgery or diagnostic procedure (sudden, unexpected deaths in otherwise healthy individuals)
- Following any injury, such as a traffic accident, occupational/industrial accident, fall, fracture, choking or hospice care that occurred in a hospital, clinic, nursing facility or group home (the hospice report of death worksheet can be found here)
- Ending in casualty, such as trauma, fall, accident or injury
- Unattended or unexpected
- Occurring on the premises of a business.