Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the purpose of the medical examiner's office?

What type of death fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner's Office?

Does every death investigation include an autopsy?

Does the ME need permission to conduct an autopsy? 

Is tissue donation handled by the ME office?

When and how is the body released to the funeral home?

What happens to personal property of the decedent?

When is the autopsy report available?

How can I obtain a copy of the autopsy report?

Do you allow tours or autopsy viewing?

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What is the purpose of the medical examiner's office?

To investigate deaths in the county in order to determine which cases fall under the medical examiner's

jurisdiction and to determine cause and manner of death. On medical examiner's cases, an example of cause

of death would be hypertensive heart disease. Manner is grouped into categories: natural, homicide, suicide,

accident, pending, or indeterminate.

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What type of death fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner's Office?

The ME office is responsible for handling any unexpected or trauma related deaths. Natural deaths

typically do not fall under ME jurisdiction unless there is insufficient medical history to have a death certificate

signed by a physician.

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Does every death investigation include an autopsy?

No. A complete autopsy may not be performed if there is adequate medical history to establish cause of death

and there are no signs of foul play.

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Does the ME need permission to conduct an autopsy?

According to Michigan state law, the ME does not need permission from the next-of-kin before an autopsy can

be conducted.

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Is tissue donation handled by the ME office?

The ME must grant permission for the organ procurement agency to proceed with tissue or organ procurement

in order to ensure that the duties of the investigation are not compromised. Outside of that, tissue or organ donation

is handled through the organ procurement agency.

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When and how is the body released to the funeral home?

Most autopsy cases can be released within 24-48 hours. Some cases requiring further investigation may not be

available for release as quickly. The ME office makes every attempt to complete its investigation as rapidly and

efficiently as possible; however, isolated cases may take additional time. The next-of-kin is responsible for making

funeral arrangements. Once services are arranged, the funeral home will contact the ME office to notify us they

will be handling the services. They are required to present a release form signed by the next-of-kin to pick up the body.

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What happens to personal property of the decedent?

Personal property brought in with the body is inventoried and then released to the funeral home. In some instances

such as a homicide, personal property is considered evidence and will be released to the investigating law enforcement agency.

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When is the autopsy report available?

The autopsy report is available when the pathologist has received all the results from the tests at autopsy and compiled these findings into a report. A Pending death certificate will be certified once the pathologist has reviewed the file and the investigating police agency has finalized their investigation.

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How can I obtain a copy of the autopsy report?

You can request a copy of an autopsy report by completing a copy of the Freedom of Information Request and sending it to the address provided on the form with a $40 processing fee. Once the report is completed, you will receive a copy of the autopsy and toxicology report in the mail.

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Do you allow tours or autopsy viewing?

Tours of the facility are available by appointment and usually reserved for group tours requested by colleges or medically related groups. The tour mainly consists of an overview of how death investigations are conducted and a tour of the facility. We understand the value of experience; however, we also are responsible for maintaining the privacy and respect of the decedent. For this reason, we restrict autopsy viewing to specific types of cases and requests to observe an autopsy are granted to specific individuals.

 

Questions regarding tours or requests to observe an autopsy can be emailed to michelle.waters@macombcountymi.gov

 

 

Any Questions?
Contact the Medical Examiner's office at (586) 469-5214 or Email us now.