- 1). Identify the county in which the autopsy was performed and whether the death fell under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner there. Normally this will be the case when the death was an accident, suicide or homicide rather than an obviously natural death.
- 2). Call the Medical Examiner's office and ask for instructions on how to request the autopsy report and results. Normally you will need to file a written request, although some offices will accept requests via email. Always use the preferred means of contact so you won't have to resubmit your initial query.
- 3). When you get a response with instructions, submit your request for the autopsy report and results in the manner required. Usually, you need to send the name of the deceased person and their exact date of death, as well as your own name and postal or email address.
- 4). When you receive a response to your request, follow the appropriate instructions. If the autopsy report and results are available, the Medical Examiner's office will let you know whether you need to submit a fee and how long it should take to send you the requested information.
- 5). If you do not receive a response within eight weeks, call or send a follow-up letter or email to the Medical Examiner's office. You may want to check up sooner, but these offices are often busy and handle requests in the order they are received. Eight weeks is usually a reasonable amount of time.