Frequently Asked Questions

1. My loved one/family member/friend has recently died and is at the medical examiner’s office. What happens next?
Once the decedent has arrived at the medical examiner’s office, an autopsy or a comprehensive external examination will be performed, generally within 24-48 hours. However, if the case arrives during weekend hours, the examination may be performed within 72 hours, depending on when the decedent arrived and the number of cases on hand. The legal next-of-kin should contact a funeral home or crematorium once they are notified of the death to begin making final arrangements and sign a written release, which provides permission to the medical examiner’s office to release the decedent to the chosen funeral facility. Once the examination/investigation has been completed, the decedent will be released to the funeral facility and arrangements can continue. In most cases, the remains can be released within 24-72 hours of admittance, unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as issues of identification, foul play, or the need for additional testing.

2. What is an autopsy? What is an external examination?
An autopsy is an intricate post-mortem medical procedure often requiring complex laboratory tests. It includes examination of all major organs to document injury and/or disease. If the decedent is viewable prior to autopsy, they will be viewable following autopsy.  An external examination is a complete external examination including the taking of bodily fluids for toxicology or other testing.

3. Can I view the body at the medical examiner’s office?
Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate viewing requests currently, unless we question the identification of the decedent. Funeral homes are better equipped to accommodate the family’s requests for viewing once they have received and properly prepared the decedent.

4. How do I obtain a copy of the death certificate?
A death certificate containing the date, cause, and manner of death will be available to the funeral home chosen by the family or the county clerk of the county in which the death occurred. The funeral director will complete the next-of-kin portion of the certificate and submit it to the county clerk in the county of death. If the cause and manner of death have not been determined, the original death certificate will state “pending”. When a determination has been made, and the case is finalized, an amended death certificate will be filed with the county clerk in the county of the decedent’s death. The funeral director can assist the family in obtaining copies of the death certificate. Additional copies may be obtained by contacting the county clerk’s office in the county serving the locality in which the death occurred.

5. Where do I get an official certificate?
First, approach the funeral director that handled the decedent’s disposition; this resource can help acquire what is needed. In Michigan, death records are open and available to the public. For a full list of counties we proudly serve please call our office at (989) 341-5077.

6. What does it mean when a case is “pending”?
Death certificates are deemed to be “pending” when laboratory studies or investigations, needed to determine the cause and manner of death, are yet unavailable. Unfortunately, a time frame for when a specific case will be completed cannot always be established. The circumstances of cases differ, and each case is handled independently. Depending on circumstances, some cases can take more than 12 weeks to complete.

7. How do I obtain a copy of medical examiner reports?
All reports generated by the medical examiner (Medical Examiner’s Report, Autopsy Report, and Toxicology Report) are available to the legal next-of-kin upon written request without cost for the first single copy of each report. The request for reports must contain the decedent’s name and date of death, as well as the name, address, signature, and a photo ID of the legal next-of-kin requesting the report. Alternatively, the request can be mailed to MIFSM. Once the case is final, the requested reports will be mailed to the next-of-kin whose name and address appear on the request. Upon request, the chief medical examiner will release the autopsy report to the decedent’s attending physician without charge. With the appropriate documentation, a copy will be released to entities having legal rights to access such records.

8. Who is the legal next-of-kin? Are documents and information private?
In Michigan, the records of the medical examiner are deemed to be medical records and, as such, fall under statutory protections. The legal next-of-kin are members of the decedent’s family, in the following order of priority for individuals over 18 years of age: surviving spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings. For additional information, please see Michigan Compiled Laws regarding next-of-kin hierarchy of standing. In cases where criminal prosecution is anticipated, those involving unnatural death and certain other cases, copies of reports will be sent to law enforcement agencies and to the local prosecutor’s office. A written release from the legal next-of-kin is required for reports to be sent to other parties, such as insurance companies or private attorneys.

9. Do I have to pay for the medical examiner examination, or an autopsy being performed by the medical examiner?
No. The cost is borne by taxpayers.

10. If the medical examiner declines jurisdiction or decides an autopsy is not required, can I have a private autopsy completed?
Yes. The cost of a private autopsy will be borne by the legal next-of-kin, or as commissioned by the legal next-of-kin, and is traditionally paid before the autopsy is performed. MIFSM is able to provide a comprehensive fee schedule of private services upon request.

11. Are fees assessed for reports and test results performed by the medical examiner?
One copy of reports released to the legal next-of-kin carries no charges. Additional copies do require the payment of fees (see fee schedule at bottom of page).

12.  Do I need to come to the medical examiner’s office to identify the deceased? Identification of decedents is a shared responsibility of law enforcement and the medical examiner. Typically, law enforcement will make the necessary inquiries. Fingerprints are typically obtained on all persons unless prints are not obtainable. Family members may not view bodies at the office of the medical examiner due to lack of appropriate facilities to accommodate this.

13.  What if I have a religious objections to an autopsy? What are my options?
The decision of whether to conduct an autopsy of a decedent while investigating that death is solely that of the medical examiner. If there are objections to an autopsy, these may be communicated to the medical examiner, and every effort will be made to minimize the autopsy examination; however, the decision will remain that of the medical examiner.

14.  Why was the medical examiner involved in a natural death that was certified by the attending physician?
If the decedent is to be cremated, it is the responsibility of the medical examiner to review the death certificate to assure that the manner of death was reported as natural. If the manner is anything other than natural, the decedent should be examined before cremation so that no potential evidence is lost.

15.  What expectations of privacy are accorded a decedent?
Any death investigation by the medical examiner is intrinsically a matter of public inquiry, and certain reports of that investigation are public record. Whenever there is an ongoing investigation of the death by law enforcement, and where information contained in a report may be considered sensitive to that investigation, the law enforcement agency may request a court order to seal a case. In general, the medical examiner will release the name, cause, and manner of death information to the media upon request. Otherwise, details of a case are reserved for the official reports.

16.  What is a ‘forensic investigation’?

Questions arise when a death occurs unexpectedly or under suspicious circumstances: What caused the death? Why did it happen? Was it the result of a crime? Forensic investigation is a process intended to answer these questions.

A forensic investigation may entail an assessment by medical examiner death investigators (MEI’s), an autopsy performed by a forensic pathologist, radiology and laboratory tests, and a review of medical records and reports from law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and primary and specialty physicians having treated an individual. A forensic investigation may be done along with – but separate from – a criminal investigation by law enforcement.

17.  How long does an autopsy take?
Most often, it will be completed between 2-4 hours after it starts but may take longer depending on the circumstances of the death and types of testing necessary to complete the investigation.

18.  Will acceptance of a case by the Medical Examiner’s Office mean that organ or tissue donation cannot take place?
No. The Medical Examiner’s Office works closely with Gift of Life Michigan/Eversight to ensure that anatomical gifts can occur whenever possible. Our staff coordinates with personnel from these organizations to maximize the chances of organ and/or tissue donation.

19.  How is the decedent transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office?
A medical examiner investigator or contracted transport agent will retrieve the decedent’s body from the scene of the death. There is no charge to the family for this service.

20.  How do I retrieve personal property of the deceased?
Personal property that is not retained as evidence will be released along with the body to the chosen funeral home. If property must be retained as evidence, it will be released to the investigating law enforcement agency.

21.  Why does it take so long to get results?
While the actual autopsy rarely takes longer than a few hours, the follow-up analysis, studies, tests, and consultation may take several weeks.  Following the completion of the autopsy, the finding must be dictated, transcribed, proofread, and then signed. Additional studies such as toxicology, histology (microscopic analysis) and microbiology cultures are not always done on site and if sent to a contracted forensic laboratory, it will take transit time, run time, and time for incorporation into final reports after interpretation. The entire process may take 12 weeks or occasionally longer depending on the circumstances of the death and needs to the medical examiner.

22. If the cause and/or manner of death of my loved one is “pending”, how can I initiate getting my financial affairs in order (insurance, Social Security, VA benefits, pensions, etc.)?
If further information is needed by an insurance company or others to settle estates or other business matters, the medical examiner’s office will work directly with those entities to answer any concerns. The funeral home facility of your choice will be able to provide you with a copy of the pending death certificate if proof of death is all that is needed. If you continue to experience problems with your insurance company regarding a ‘pending’ death certificate, please contact us and we will do our best to help move along the process. While the cause of death may be clear at the time of autopsy, or shortly thereafter from the inclusion of lab results, etc., the manner of death may require additional consultation. The circumstances of the death are paramount in deciding whether the manner of death is homicide, accident, suicide, or natural. Inquiries into the law enforcement and medical communities, and gathering of their reports, are important for the manner of death determination and may take additional time.

23.    What are the common specialty consultations that may be necessary to complete an investigation into the cause and manner of an individual’s death?

·         Forensic Anthropology helps identify the deceased.

·         Forensic Investigation determines if a death comes under the jurisdiction of the
Medical Examiner and investigates the circumstances surrounding the death.

·         Forensic Odontology evaluates bite marks and uses dental records to identify
the deceased.

·         Forensic Technician coordinates the intake, release, and transportation of
the deceased.

·         Histology prepares tissue slides for microscopic analysis.

·         Pathology determines the cause and manner of death in consultation with the
Medical Examiner on all cases.

·         Toxicology Laboratory analyzes postmortem specimens for drug abuse, prescription drugs, and poisons.

·         Radiology demonstrates the appearance of abnormalities commonly found in different types of injuries and illnesses.