Q. What is a Medical Examiner?
Q. What is an autopsy?
Q. What cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner and must be reported to the Medical Examiner's Office?
Q. Why is an investigation necessary?
Q. What happens during an on scene death investigation?
Q. Will all cases that fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner be autopsied?
Q. How long before an autopsy will be completed?
Q. What do I need to do while the medical examiner is investigating the death?
Q. How can we get a copy of an autopsy report?
Q. How do I obtain a Death Certificate?
Q. What does it mean when a case is 'pending'?
Q. How long does a body remain at the Medical Examiner's facility?
Q. How do I claim a body?
Q. Do I need to identify my loved ones at the morgue?
Q. May I view a body at the medical examiner's office?
Q. Does your office perform private autopsies?
Q. Is the family responsible for the cost of the autopsy?
Q. Do you need permission of the legally authorized person (a/k/a next of kin) to perform an autopsy?
Q. What happens to personal property brought in with a body?
Q. Who gives permission for organ donation?
Q. Who reports the death to the Medical Examiner's Office?
Q. Can I shadow a medical examiner or observe an autopsy?
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Q. What is a Medical Examiner?
A. The Medical Examiner is a physician trained in forensic pathology who investigates violent, suspicious or unnatural deaths. The Medical Examiner has a duty to objectively determine the cause and manner of death in such cases and is assisted by law enforcement, forensic investigators and morgue personnel.
Q. What is an autopsy?
A. An autopsy is the postmortem (after death) surgical examination of a body which involves examination of the internal organs as to determine the cause of death or the nature of pathological changes.
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Q. What cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner and must be reported to the Medical Examiner's Office?
A. Jurisdiction is determined by Florida Statute 406.11 and Florida Administrative Code 11G-2.
Florida Statute 406.11 requires that deaths occurring under the following circumstances be reported:
(a) When any person dies in the state:
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Of criminal violence.
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By accident.
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By suicide.
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Suddenly, while in apparent good health.
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Unattended by a practicing physician or other recognized practitioners.
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In prison or penal institutions.
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In police custody.
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In any suspicious or unusual circumstances.
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By criminal abortion.
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By poison.
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By disease, injury or toxic agent resulting from employment.
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By disease constituting a threat to public health
(b) When a body is brought into the state without proper medical certification;
(c) When a body is to be cremated, dissected or buried at sea.
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Q. Why is an investigation necessary?
A. In the case of an unexpected or violent death, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death is legally required to determine the cause and manner of death and establish the identity of the deceased before the Medical Examiner can sign the death certificate. The Medical Examiner can often discover hidden evidence of injury to explain a sudden death or can document natural diseases to show that no foul play was involved in the death. Government and private agencies, as well as families, rely on the medical examiner findings to resolve questioned issues regarding deaths.
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Q. What happens during an on scene death investigation?
A. The Medical Examiner is responsible for the body of the deceased. It may not be touched or moved without permission. Forensic investigators typically respond to every non-natural death scene before the body is removed from the scene.
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Q. Will all cases that fall under the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner be autopsied?
A. No. A complete autopsy is often performed in traumatic or violent deaths (gunshot, stab, electrocution, burn, poison, fall, drowning, starvation, suffocation, strangulation, etc., any police custody death, suspected suicide or drug overdose and in most cases of child death). An investigation or autopsy is necessary in all traumatic deaths regardless of duration of survival or hospitalization of the injured person if no complete recovery was made after the injury.
An autopsy is not normally performed when the death appears to be from natural causes and adequate medical history exists, and there are no indications of foul play. The Medical Examiner often receives such cases only because the attending physician is not in Florida and cannot sign a Florida death certificate or the decedent has not seen a physician or been prescribed medications for over 12 months.
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Q. How long before an autopsy will be completed?
A. Autopsies are usually performed on the same day jurisdiction is accepted or the next day. An exception would be if the family chooses donation. The autopsy would be performed the following day after donation.
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A. Usually all you need to do is select a funeral home or crematory. The funeral director will take care of the remaining details. An investigator from the Medical Examiner's Office may contact you for information concerning the medical history of the deceased, funeral arrangements, date of birth, social security number and similar information.
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Q. How can we get a copy of an autopsy report?
A. You may submit a request for an autopsy report by:
- Phone: 239-533-6339
- Fax: 239-277-5017
- Email: me21@leegov.com
- Office: Public Records Custodian, District 21 Medical Examiner's Office, 70 South Danley Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907
- Regular Mail: 70 South Danley Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907
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Click here for a Request for Autopsy Report form. (LINK FORM TO THIS SITE; set up email notification to me21@leegov.com when requests are received via this form)
Not all autopsy reports can be released under
Florida Statute 119. Some reports may not be public records at the time of a request. Please provide as much information as possible when making a request for records. This will prevent delays in responding to your request.
Please note that this is a fee for copies pursuant to
Florida Statute 119. Please contact our office at 239-277-5020 for fee information. All confidential and exempt information will be redacted from copies of public records. If any request that requires extensive use of information technology resources or administrative staff, an additional charge will be assessed.
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Q. How do I obtain a Death Certificate?
A. The District 21 Medical Examiner's Office does not issue death certificates. Requests for death certificates should be sent directly to the Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics at http://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates/certificates/death/index.html, or the Office of Vital Statistics where the death occurred:
Lee County Health Department
Office of Vital Statistics
83 Pondella Road
North Fort Myers, FL 33903
239-332-9572
Hendry County Health Department
Office of Vital Statistics
PO Box 70
LaBelle, FL 33975-0070
863-674-4056
Glades County Health Department
Office of Vital Statistics
PO Box 489
Moore Haven, FL 33471
863-946-0707
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Q. What does it mean when a case is 'pending'?
A. Death certificates will state 'pending' when laboratory studies or further investigations are needed to determine the cause and/or manner of death. While a time frame cannot be established on when this type of case will be un-pended, each is handled independently. Some cases can take up to twelve weeks to finalize (not pending). However, this does not prevent the body from being released after the autopsy is completed within 24 to 48 hours of the examination.
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Q. How long does a body remain at the Medical Examiner's facility?
A. This depends upon the time it takes to examine a body (or do an autopsy) and take physical evidence. Even if a cause and manner of death is pending, most bodies are able to be released within 24 hours to 48 hours of examination to the funeral home chosen by the family.
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Q. How do I claim a body?
A. The legal authorized person, as defined in Florida Statute 497.005(39), should contact a funeral home, make final arrangements, and sign a written release giving the District 21 Medical Examiner's Office permission to release the body.
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Q. Do I need to identify my loved ones at the morgue?
A. Rarely is a family required to make identification at the medical examiner's office. If a family member is required to make identification a photograph is used for identification. The medical examiner's office is not staffed to accommodate viewing requests.
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Q. May I view a body at the medical examiner's office?
A. The medical examiner's office is not staffed to accommodate review requests.
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Q. Does your office perform private autopsies?
A. This office does not perform private autopsies.
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Q. Is the family responsible for the cost of the autopsy?
A. No. The cost of an autopsy is covered by the county in the jurisdiction where the person died.
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Q. Do you need permission of the legally authorized person (a/k/a next of kin) to perform an autopsy?
A. By Florida Statute 406, the Medical Examiner is not required to receive permission from the legally authorized person (see Florida Statute 497.005(39)) for an autopsy that falls under the medical examiner's jurisdiction. Religious objections to an autopsy are handled with consultation on a case by case basis.
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Q. What happens to personal property brought in with a body?
A. If personal effects are transported with a body, they are inventoried and turned over to the funeral home for return to the family. In the cases of homicides, all the personal effects are turned over to law enforcement as evidence, unless law enforcement instructs our office to release a specific item to the family. If the legally authorized person is not located, the personal property will be handled as follows, pursuant to
Florida Statute 406.50:
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Any valuables or personal items will be turned over to the human services department that handles unclaimed and indigent cases where the death occurred.
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Any such valuables, personal items, property, bank accounts, etc. shall be made available to the appropriate human services department for probate.
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Q. Who gives permission for organ donation?
A. Only the legally authorized person may grant permission for organ or tissue donation. Permission must be requested by the organ or tissue procurement agency before the Medical Examiner can accept jurisdiction. The Medical Examiner's Office will then determine if donation may proceed without compromising the duties of the medical examiner. In rare cases, a medical examiner's objection may be invoked to protect evidence.
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Q. Who reports the death to the Medical Examiner's Office?
A. Death reports to the Medical Examiner's Office should only be taken from law enforcement, funeral homes, or medical facilities which would include hospitals, nursing homes and hospice. If a death occurs at home, law enforcement should be contacted who then in turn notifies the Medical Examiner's Office. The number for law enforcement, funeral homes, and medical facilities to report a death is (239)533-6339 24 hours a day.
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Q. Can I shadow a medical examiner or observe an autopsy?
A. The District 21 Medical Examiner's Office does not offer shadowing experiences
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Contact Us For questions about the death of your loved one, or process and procedures of the District 21 Medical Examiner's Office:
District 21 Medical Examiner's Office
70 South Danley Drive
Fort Myers, FL 33907
Email: ME21@leegov.com
Phone: (239)533-6339
Fax: (239)277-5017
All e-mails sent to this address may be public record in compliance with Florida Statute 119.
Please note: Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from MEO Employees and officials regarding County business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your email communication may be subject to public disclosure. Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your email address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
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