Hospitals

How do I report a death? 

Call our office at 801-816-3850 and ask to talk with an investigator. 

What types of deaths do I need to report? 

You must report sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious, or unattended deaths that occur in all units of the hospital. This includes deaths from past complications or trauma. For example: A person was injured during a physical fight and died years later from a complication of their long-term injury. Call us at 801-816-3850 and ask to talk with an investigator if you’re not sure if a death falls under our jurisdiction. 

The investigator will ask for information about the death, including how the person died and the types of documentation you have about the patient, their diagnoses, test results, and any other important information, such as criminal charges or traumatic injuries. 

Some deaths that are related to accidental trauma, such as a motor vehicle accident, can be classified as a “designated representative” (also called DesRep). A DesRep case means that the decedent’s medical provider has enough information about the injuries (including medical diagnoses and tests) to determine the cause and manner of death and submit these for the death certificate. We still assign DesRep cases an OME case number, but the body won’t be transported to our office.  

What information do I need to provide when we report a death?

We will ask you for information about the deceased person, including their personal information, diagnoses, and the treatments they received. We use this information to determine if the person’s death is in our jurisdiction. 

If the death doesn’t fall under our jurisdiction, we’ll write an inquiry report and store it in our case management system. will be written and stored in our case management system.

What happens if the death falls under your jurisdiction?

If a death falls under our jurisdiction and isn’t classified as a DesRep case, we will start a death 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.

What evidence will the investigators collect?

All cases we investigate are treated as potential suspicious deaths. Because of this, it’s important to preserve evidence. 

Follow these guidelines to preserve evidence:

• Do not remove any medical devices used during resuscitation or hospitalization. 
• Gather all of the clothing the person was wearing or that was removed during their hospital stay. These will be transported to our office as evidence. 
• Gather tissues removed during surgical procedures (such as placenta, craniotomy fragments, etc.) These will be transported to our office as evidence. 
• Gather physical evidence removed during a procedure (such as bullets). These will be transported to our office as evidence.

Do you need blood and tissue samples from my facility? 

We may ask you for any tissue or blood samples from the patient that you have. We use these samples to do more testing, such as for drugs and alcohol. These samples can also be used by tissue recovery organizations to determine if the deceased person can donate tissues. 

Do you need the patient’s medical records from my facility? 

We may request patient records from your facility for our investigation. We primarily look for information about the patient’s diagnoses, treatments they received, prescribed medications, and a description of what happened before and during their death. 

Utah Code 26B-8-2-211 states that you must complete record requests from our office within 10 days. 

Can I get medical appliances back from your office? 

Call our office at (801)-816-3850 if you need medical appliances that were taken as part of our investigation. 

Tell us if there are special instructions we need to follow when removing the appliance and the best way to send it back to your facility.

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. 

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? 

Mail a letter of request on letterhead stationery to our address. The letter of request must be signed by a physician. 

Our mailing address is:

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.