A medical examiner’s office is called upon any time a death doesn’t have a clear cause. It could be a sudden or unexpected death, one that involved violence or anything that’s deemed unnatural. There are also more specific instances such as a death that occurred within a jail or the death of a young child.
Prior to performing an autopsy, the medical examiner’s office will go through a process that doesn’t take too much time but is absolutely essential. We’re sharing information on that process to help provide clarification for why some deaths are investigated with just a physical exam, why some investigations include an autopsy and why the medical examiner’s office doesn’t take on every case that is referred to them.
Determining Jurisdiction – The One Step That Always Happens
The first step in a medical examiner’s process, that’s arguably the most important, is for the office to determine if the case is within their jurisdiction. Being within the jurisdiction is a manner of location and the circumstances surrounding the death.
To begin with, the death must have occurred within the physical area that the medical examiner’s office serves. For example deaths that occur in Austin, TX fall under the jurisdiction of the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office (TCME). The entire county is under the TCME’s jurisdiction. But it doesn’t stop there. The office provides medical examiner’s services for 49 counties in Texas.
However, it should be noted that there may be different jurisdiction requirements for deaths that are within a medical examiner’s primary county versus the additional counties that are served. This applies to the second part of jurisdiction.
If the death occurred within the service area, the medical examiner’s office then sees if the circumstances of the death meet the jurisdiction requirements. In Texas, this is dictated by the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 49.25. It states that the medical examiner’s office is required to investigate deaths that are:
- Unnatural
- Unexpected
- Sudden
- Violent
- Suspicious
- Involve a child under the age of six and was reported under Family Code Chapter 264
- Occur in a jail or prison
- Not witnessed by anyone
- Involve a body or body parts that are found
- A result of suicide
- Happen within 24 hours of hospital admittance
- Occur with a licensed physician attending who can’t determine a cause
If a death doesn’t meet one of the criteria then the county medical examiner’s office will decline the case because it’s not within their jurisdiction. When this happens the family still has the option to request an autopsy be performed, or they can enlist the help of a private forensics institute to perform an autopsy. This could be necessary if the family initiates a wrongful death lawsuit or medical malpractice lawsuit.
To put it in perspective, 7,855 cases were reported to the TCME office in 2024, but only 1,179 cases fell under their jurisdiction and were physically examined by a medical examiner.
Designating the Case and Case Number
Before the work begins, an investigative report needs to be initiated for all referred cases. Each case will need to be given a case number. There will also be a designator that indicates if the case is from within the county where the medical examiner’s office is located or from another county.
A separate designation will be used if the case does not fall within the medical examiner office’s jurisdiction. There are also designations for cases in which the body is not present for examination as well as cases where the treating physician of the deceased determines the cause and manner of death.
Arranging Transport
Once it’s determined that a death falls within the medical examiner’s jurisdiction and warrants a physical examination, the next step is to transport the body. Typically, if the death happened within the county where the medical examiner’s office is located, the office will set up the transport to their facility. In many cases, a contracted provider provides the transport services.
In some instances, death investigators will transport the remains directly to the medical examiner’s office from the scene.
If the death occurred in an area that’s within the jurisdiction but outside of the county, usually an official from that county will correspond with a local funeral home to transport the deceased to the medical examiner’s office.
Investigating the Scene of the Death
In some cases, an official from the medical examiner’s office will be dispatched to investigate the scene of the death. This is most common when a homicide or suicide is expected but can also be done for accidental deaths.
Forensic investigators from the medical examiner’s office will be sent to the scene to gather evidence that will be used in conjunction with the physical examination, autopsy and other tests. They will observe the scene making notes and taking pictures to preserve evidence and provide the medical examiner with additional details surrounding the death.
Performing Medical Examiner Services
The team at the medical examiner’s office will now get to work figuring out the cause and manner of death. Exactly what tests are performed is up to the medical examiner. For example, they may decide to only do a physical examination, partial autopsy or a complete autopsy.
Creating Medical Examiner Reports
All the information from the tests that were done to determine the cause and manner of a death comes together in the autopsy report and other related reports. The reports will list information such as:
- Who performed the services
- Details about the deceased
- The cause and manner of death
- The results of toxicology test and other tests
It is possible for the reports to note that some tests were inconclusive or that the cause and/or manner of death is still unknown.
Providing Reports to the Necessary Parties
Once the medical examiner’s reports are created the information needs to be shared with a few people. If there is a criminal investigation the medical examiner’s office will provide the local authorities with a copy of the reports. The deceased’s next of kin should also receive the autopsy reports.
The final reports will be sent to the Vital Records department as well. Once the reports are on file, anyone can submit a request to receive a copy since autopsy reports are considered public information.
At Cremation.Green we don’t just provide eco-friendly death care services. We are a highly professional team that’s experienced working with medical examiner’s offices and private forensic labs if autopsy services were performed. We can coordinate with the medical professionals to ensure safe, efficient transport of the body once the process is complete.
Give us a call or text whenever is best for you, and we’ll help you arrange funeral services as simply as possible with zero added stress.
