Graphics: How Is Death Investigated In Your State?
Differences Between Coroners And Medical Examiners
To understand death investigation in the U.S., it's important to understand the differences among the three key roles in death investigation: a Coroner, a Medical Examiner and a Forensic Pathologist. Forensic Pathologists can be a coroner, or medical examiner, or are employed by those offices to perform certain functions.
| Coroner | Medical Examiner | |
|---|---|---|
| Required To Be A Physician | Usually Not Required | Almost Always |
| Investigates Deaths
If death is sudden, violent, untimely, unexpected or cause of death is unknown |
Yes | Yes |
| Performs Autopsies | No | Yes |
| Determines Cause of Death
If death is natural, an accident, a homicide, a suicide or undetermined |
Yes | Yes |
| Death Certificates
Assigns cause of death |
Yes | Yes |
| Appointed Or Elected | Either | Appointed |
| Pathologist or Forensic Pathologist* | Not Required | Almost Always |
Death Investigation State By State
Accredited Offices
The following offices have been certified by the National Association of Medical Examiners. Although there is no formal national regulatory standard, NAME has created a set of standards for the purpose of improving the quality of the death investigation in the U.S.
| Institution | State |
|---|---|
| Office of the State Medical Examiner - Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, Little Rock | AR |
| San Francisco Office of Chief Medical Examiner, San Francisco | CA |
| San Diego County Medical Examiner Office, San Diego, California | CA |
| Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner/Coroner Office, Los Angeles | CA |
| Sacramento County Coroner's Office - Sacramento, CA | CA |
| San Bernadino County Sheriff-Coroner Department, San Bernardino | CA |
| Denver Office of the Medical Examiner, Denver | CO |
| Larimer County Medical Examiners Office, Loveland | CO |
| El Paso County Coroner/Medical Examiner Facility, Colorado Springs | CO |
| Connecticut-Office of Chief medical Examiner, Farmington | CT |
| Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Washington, DC | DC |
| Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Wilmington | DE |
| District 5 Medical Examiner's Office, Leesburg | FL |
| District 11 Medical Examiner Office, Miami-Dade | FL |
| District Six Medical Examiner Office, Largo | FL |
| Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office, Daytona Beach | FL |
| Georgia Bureau of Investigation Medical Examiner Office - Decatur, GA & Six Regional Facilities | GA |
| Fulton County Medical Examiner Center, Atlanta, GA | GA |
| Polk County Medical Examiner's Office, Des Moines, IA | IA |
| Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner, Ankeny, Iowa | IA |
| Cook County Medical Examiner Office, Chicago | IL |
| Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center, Wichita | KS |
| Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Louisville | KY |
| Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office, Harvey | LA |
| Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Baltimore | MD |
| Sparrow Hlth Systems Forensic Pathology-MEO for Allegan,Barry,Eaton,Livingston,Muskegon,Shiawassee | MI |
| Kent County Medical Examiner Office, Grand Rapids | MI |
| Hennepin County Medical Examiner, Minneapolis | MN |
| Midwest Medical Examiners, Anoka County Coon Rapids, Ramsey | MN |
| Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office, Hastings, MN | MN |
| Ramsey County Medical Examiner, St. Paul, Minnesota | MN |
| Jackson County Medical Examiner Office, Kansas City | MO |
| New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Concord, NH | NH |
| Middlesex County Medical Examiner's Office, North Brunswick, NJ | NJ |
| New Jersey State Medical Examiner Office, Newark | NJ |
| Office of Chief Medical Investigator, Albuquerque, NM | NM |
| Suffolk County Medical Examiner Office, Hauppauge, New York | NY |
| Franklin County Coroner, Columbus, Ohio | OH |
| Montgomery County Coroner Office, Dayton | OH |
| Greene County Coroner Office, Xenia, Ohio | OH |
| Summit County Medical Examiner's Office - Akron, OH | OH |
| Hamilton County Coroner Office, Cincinnati | OH |
| Institute of Forensic Sciences, San Juan, PR | PR |
| Office of State Medical Examiner, Providence, RI | RI |
| Davidson County Medical Examiner Office, Nashville | TN |
| The Regional Forensic Center - Knoxville, TN | TN |
| Shelby County Medical Examiner Office, Memphis | TN |
| William L. Jenkins Forensic Center, Johnson City | TN |
| Office of Hamilton County Medical Examiner - Chattanooga, TN | TN |
| Travis County Medical Examiner's Office, Austin, TX | TX |
| Dallas County Medical Examiner Office, Dallas | TX |
| Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Houston | TX |
| Tarrant County Medical Examiner Office, Fort Worth | TX |
| Bexar County Forensic Science Center, San Antonio | TX |
| Collin County Medical Examiner's Office, McKinney | TX |
| Northern Region Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Manassas | VA |
| Tidewater District, Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Norfolk | VA |
| Western District, Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Roanoke | VA |
| Vermont Office of Chief Medical Examiner, Burlington | VT |
| Clark County Medical Examiner's Office, Vancouver | WA |
| Pierce County Medical Examiner, Tacoma, Washington | WA |
| King County Medical Examiner Office, Seattle | WA |
| Spokane County Medical Examiner Office, Spokane | WA |
| Milwaukee County Medical Examiner Office, Milwaukee | WI |
Click here for more of our series: Post Mortem: Death Investigation in America.