Births, marriages, deaths and nationality The inquest system

Deaths under 'investigation'

The Coroner will open an 'investigation' when :

a death has been reported to us and it seems probable that the Deceased died of natural causes.  We will therefore make contact with medical staff and/or families to see if we are able to 'f'ill in the gaps' in order to ascertain a cause of death or to clarify the circumstances of death. 

the initial post-mortem has not revealed the cause of death and we are waiting for results of microscope work and blood analysis.   

These cases do not need a full process of an inquest.  In these circumstances, they will open an investigation.  This allows us to release your relative's body while we gather the necessary evidence.  

If an investigation is opened into my relative's death 

The Coroner's Officer will phone you to explain the results of the post-mortem examination and let you know that an investigation has been opened. 

Someone who knew the deceased well will need to identify the body to a Police Coroner's Officer if they have seen the deceased both before and after death (for example in hospital), it may be possible to complete the identification process without this.  We can then release the body to your funeral director. 

You will not be able to register the death or obtain death certificates at this point.  The Coroner's Office will give you paperwork to allow the funeral to go ahead.  If you need proof of the death, we can issue interim death certificates.  These are accepted by banks and almost all other organisations involved in the closure of an estate, with the exception of life insurance companies. 

It will take between 4 and 12 weeks to carry out the investigation.  An Officer will phone you as soon as we have the results.  Then: 

• If it is confirmed that death was due to natural causes, we will close the case.  You will then be able to register the death at the Register Office and obtain death certificates.   
• If there are still outstanding questions, we will upgrade the investigation to an inquest.  The rest of this section gives information on how the inquest procedure works.