Frequently Asked Questions

Not all deaths that occur in Cumberland County are reportable to the Coroner

Individuals who die from natural causes and are currently under the care of a physician are not always reportable

The following deaths are reportable to the Coroner in Cumberland County:

• Sudden deaths not caused by readily recognizable disease, or when the cause of death cannot be properly certified by a physician on the bases of prior medical history
• Deaths occurring as a result of violence or trauma whether apparently homicidal, suicidal, or accidental
• Any death wherein the body is unidentified or unclaimed 
• Any sudden infant death
• Deaths known or suspected as due to contagious disease constituting a public health hazard
• Deaths occurring in a prison or in the custody of police
• Deaths occurring under suspicious circumstances including those where alcohol, drugs, or other toxic substances may have a direct bearing on the death
• Operative and post-operative death in which the death is not readily explainable on the basis of prior disease

Each case is evaluated independently to determine the cause and manner of death. If the Coroner is unable to determine the cause and manner of death, the law requires that "he shall perform or order an autopsy".

If the Coroner orders an autopsy because he is unable to establish the cause and manner of death, the family does not have to give permission. If the Coroner does not order an autopsy, the family always has the right to have one done privately at their own expense.

The Coroner's office generates income from fees that are charged for copies of reports, photos, and for cremation authorizations. Generally these reports/photos are requested by insurance companies and/or attorneys to help them to verify the circumstances of the death. The reports are necessary to help determine whether to pay an insurance claim or whether a lawsuit may be successful.

The release for cremation is required for all persons whose bodies are to be cremated, buried at sea or otherwise disposed of so as to be thereafter unavailable for examination (usually those who are donating the body to science). The majority of these deaths are certified by the attending physicians and would not otherwise fall under the jurisdiction of the Coroner. Each of these deaths must be reviewed and often contact must be made with the physician's office or the medical records department of the facility where death occurred. This additional workload justifies a specific fee to be paid by the users of the specific service rather than by the taxpayers in general.

Deputy Coroners can perform all of the duties of the Coroner, in his place, and have the same authorities, subject only to internal office procedures.