How to Request an Autopsy Report Here’s a clear step-by-step outline of what’s usually required to obtain an autopsy report from a local medical examiner or coroner’s office in the United States. Procedures vary slightly by state or county, but these are the general steps and details you’ll need. A good first step would be to find the medical examiner’s official website. There, you will find information on how to obtain records, fees, and policies. Just a reminder that a request to the ME, will not get you police reports. You would still need to make a public records request from the police department for the case file, reports, photos, etc. 1. Confirm Medical Examiner’s Jurisdiction Determine which office performed the autopsy. Autopsies are handled by the medical examiner or coroner in the county or city where the death occurred, not where the decedent lived. You can look up the correct agency by searching: “ County name Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report r...
Freedom of Information Offices by State By: Joseph Giacalone Freedom of Information Offices can be your greatest teammate in the effort to solve cold cases. If you are, or want to be, a cold case advocate, then you will need this list of the Freedom of Information Offices by state. The National Coalition of Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC) has created a page on their website that provides access to each state that has a FOIA Office. Writing Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests will be part of your routine when investigating and helping out victims’ families searching for information on cold cases. It is a vital part of obtaining official documents from a variety of governmental entities. Whether it’s the police department, courts, or the medical examiner / coroner, you will need to understand what is available through a request and what is not. For instance, reports from the medical examiner / coroner are generally not available to the...