Coroner / Medical examiner
The official who investigates deaths that did not happen under medical supervision — sudden deaths, accidents, suspicious deaths, deaths of unknown cause. The body stays in their custody until the investigation releases it.
A medical examiner is a physician (usually a board-certified forensic pathologist) appointed to investigate deaths. A coroner is an elected or appointed official who may or may not be a physician, depending on state. About half of US states use medical examiners, the rest use coroners, and a few use a mix.
Their jurisdiction is set by state law. They take custody of the body in: sudden or unexpected deaths, deaths within 24 hours of hospital admission with no diagnosis, deaths from accident or trauma, deaths under suspicious circumstances, deaths of people in custody, and deaths where no physician will sign the certificate.
Bodies under their custody are usually released within 24–72 hours unless an autopsy is performed. Autopsy results — and therefore the final cause-of-death entry on the certificate — can take 4 to 12 weeks. Funeral homes can usually proceed without waiting; the certificate is filed with cause 'pending' and amended later.
- Death certificate— The official government document recording the death. Required for almost everything that comes after — bank accounts, insurance, Social Security, probate, transferring property.
- Autopsy— A medical examination of the body, internal and external, to determine cause of death. Ordered by a medical examiner or requested by the family in some cases.
This definition is general consumer information, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Industry practices and regulations change occasionally; verify before relying on anything here for a specific decision.
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