Families

Why is the Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) involved?

The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner (OME) investigates all sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious, or unattended deaths in Utah. 

This includes deaths related to accidents, homicides, suicides, and those without clear medical explanations.

We determine the cause of death (the injury, illness, or disease that made the person die) and the manner of death (the general category of death, including natural, accident, homicide, suicide, or undetermined) for each case that we work on.

What should I do next?

Choose a funeral home. 

You can find a funeral home near you on the Utah Funeral Directors Association website. 

Call the funeral home and tell them your family member is at the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner and if there are any religious or cultural rites we should follow. The funeral home will share this information with us and transport the body from our office to their facility.

Work with the funeral home to get a death certificate

A death certificate is a legal document that certifies a person is dead. It includes their personal information, when they died, where they died, and the cause of death. Some places, such as a bank or utility company, need to see a death certificate to verify that a person has died. 

The funeral home and our office will submit the information that goes on the death certificate to the state within 5 days of the death. Our office will submit the cause and manner of death, while the funeral home will submit the other information. 

You can order death certificates through the funeral home. The funeral home will include the cost of these in your final bill. You can also order copies online, by mail, or at your local health department. Learn more from the DHHS Office of Vital Records. 

What does it mean if the death certificate says “pending” for the cause and manner of death? 

We determine the cause and manner of death during our investigation and submit this information for the death certificate within 5 days of the death. We submit “pending” as the cause and manner of death if we are still investigating the death after 5 days. We update the person’s death record with their official cause and manner of death when our investigation is finished. 

Most places will accept a death certificate that says “pending.” If you need a copy of the final death certificate, you can exchange the one that says “pending” at your local health department or the DHHS Office of Vital Records. It’s free to exchange the death certificate within 90 days of when we updated the cause and manner of death. Learn more from the DHHS Office of Vital Records.

Should I clean up the death scene?

If your family member died violently or wasn’t discovered right away, there could be biological hazards (also called biohazards) at the scene where they died. Biological hazards include health concerns that could make you sick, such as bacteria from a decomposing body. 

Hire a professional biohazard cleaning company to clean these up. Search the internet for “crime scene clean up near me” to find a cleaning company who specializes in cleaning death scenes and biological hazards. Contact your homeowner or renters insurance to see if they will pay for biohazard cleaning services.

Resources for biohazard cleaning services 

• The Utah Office for Victims of Crime may help pay for cleaning services if your family member died from a violent crime. 
• You can request reimbursement for biohazard cleaning services from the DHHS Office of Substance Use and Mental Health if your family member died by suicide. 

What happens in a death investigation? 

We determine the cause of death (the injury, illness, or disease that made the person die) and the manner of death (the general category of death, including natural, accident, homicide, suicide, or undetermined) during our investigation. 

There are many parts to a death investigation: 

• Scene investigation. Medical examiner investigators photograph and document the body and scene, interview family members about the deceased’s medical and social history, and work with law enforcement to learn more about the death. Their work helps the medical examiner determine the manner and cause of death. 
• Postmortem exam. The postmortem examination is performed by a medical examiner. In Utah, all medical examiners are medical doctors board-certified in forensic pathology. The medical examiner will do a physical exam that documents things such as the deceased’s clothing, hair and eye color, and injuries. Not all cases need an autopsy—but if one is needed, the medical examiner will examine the internal organs for disease or injuries that caused or contributed to death. They also collect blood and tissue samples for further testing, such as drug or alcohol testing. 
• Other records. The medical examiner looks at other records, such as medical records or law enforcement records. We learn more about the deceased person by contacting their friends and family members. We want to get a full picture of the person’s life because this helps us determine how they died. 

Can I request that you don’t do an autopsy for religious or cultural reasons? 

Talk to the funeral home and ask them to tell us about any religious or cultural practices that we should follow during our investigation, including not performing an autopsy. 

 We do our best to accommodate these practices. In cases where we still need to perform an autopsy, we will work with you to try and accommodate your religious or cultural practices through the rest of our investigation. 

Can I get more information about your investigation? 

You can order a copy of the report of examination. A report of examination has detailed information from the deceased person’s postmortem exam and death investigation. Most of this information isn’t found on the death certificate.

We only give copies of this report to the deceased person’s immediate family members, police officers, attorneys, and health care providers. 

How do I get a copy of the report of examination? 

You can request a copy of the report of examination by mail or in-person at our office. 

By mail:

Mail a notarized letter of request or completed record request form to our address:

Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
4451 South 2700 West
Taylorsville, UT 84129

We’ll send a copy of the report to you within 3 business days of receiving your request. If the report isn’t finished when we get your request, we’ll send you a copy of the report when it’s ready. 

In person

Come to our office with a valid government-issued photo ID. We’ll make a copy of your photo ID before giving you a copy of the report. 

We’re open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and located at:

Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
4451 South 2700 West
Taylorsville, UT 84129

Can I get my family member’s DNA samples from your office? 

We collect blood spot cards for each person we investigate in case the family or law enforcement needs DNA samples for future tests, such as a paternity test. We can only release DNA samples that are requested by the deceased’s immediate family member or by a court order signed by a Utah judge. 

Follow these instructions to get a DNA sample from us: 

1. Send a completed and notarized DNA Testing Request Form to us with a check or mail order for $25 payable to Utah Department of Health and Human Services. 
2. Contact the lab who will complete the DNA test and tell them to send a mailing kit to us at: 

Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
4451 South 2700 West
Taylorsville, UT 84129

What else should I know?

Can I view the body at the OME? 

We don’t have the facilities for family members to do a viewing at our office. Contact the funeral home to arrange a viewing at their facility. 

What happens to personal property that’s taken to the OME? 

We give all personal property that’s brought to our office (such as wallets and clothing) to the funeral home when they pick up the deceased person, unless law enforcement needs it as evidence. 

Call us if you need to pick up any personal items before the funeral home picks them up, such as keys. We’ll schedule a time for you to come in and get them. You must show photo identification and sign a release form before we give them to you.

Our investigators may collect the deceased person’s medications as evidence. The medical examiner will look at the type of medications and how many pills there are to determine the cause and manner of death. We safely dispose of any medications that are brought to our office after our investigation. 

What should I do with leftover medications? 

You can dispose of any leftover medications that weren’t taken to our office. Take them to a medication disposal drop-box to get rid of them safely. You can also call a pharmacy or your local health department and ask if they give out prescription disposal packs that you can use at home. 

Does your office do organ and tissue donation?

Tissue recovery agencies like the Lion’s Eye Bank and Donor Connect collect tissue donations such as  corneas, skin, bone, and heart valves while the deceased is at our office. These agencies will always get your permission before taking tissue donations—even if your family member is marked as a donor on their driver’s license. They’ll call you and ask if you’d like to donate tissues from your family member’s body.

Visit yesutah.org to learn more about tissue donation.