If you discover that the subject of your genealogical search passed away as a result of an accident, suicide, or other questionable means, you should always turn to the records maintained by the Coroner or Medical Examiner. However, deaths that fall into any type of questionable category will involve some form of investigation by law enforcement authorities. These circumstances often are noted in most records maintained by funeral homes, cemeteries, and the death certificate generated by the County Health Department.
The Coroner or Medical Examiner will always be called on by law enforcement to determine a cause of death when suspicious circumstances arise during the investigation. These circumstances generate a paper trail. The information from the Coroner or Medical Examiner must be completed before the local law enforcement agency can complete its police report.
Information in a typical entry may include some or all of the following: name of the deceased, age, date of birth, cause of death, occupation, next of kin, witnesses to the event (if any), and other family members or acquaintances who knew the person. Though the document may contain brief details, it often provides significant information regarding family members that were interviewed or who provided information about the deceased.
Coroner or Medical Examiner records are often housed in the municipal archives of the city or in the county or state archives. You must determine whether the Coroner or Medical Examiner was in a local, county, or state position at the time of the death you are researching. The next step is to determine whether the records are in an archive or still in the city or county of original jurisdiction. Your final step involves determining what the latest guidelines are for access to the data. Some jurisdictions may limit access based on your ability to prove a direct ancestral connection to the deceased. This most likely applies to any death that has occurred within the past 50-75 years. The following links will provide additional information on this topic.