Coroner

Duties

The County Coroner operates at the interface between law and medicine.

State Statutes for County Coroners are contained in Title 7, Chapter 4 of the Wyoming State Statutes.

Deaths Investigated

In Wyoming, coroners investigate deaths due to:

  • Accident
  • Apparent child abuse causes
  • Apparent drug or chemical overdose or toxicity
  • Apparent suicide
  • The deceased was unattended by a physician or other licensed health care provider
  • Unknown cause(s)
  • Violent or criminal action

In Wyoming, coroners also investigate:

  • Certain deaths that occur in hospital settings but are conservatively considered ’unattended’ (for example, an emergency room death caused by an event outside of the hospital)
  • Deaths of prisoners, trustees, inmates or patients of any county or state corrections facility or state hospital
  • Unattended deaths, or deceased having not seen a physician within six months prior to death

Additional Duties

Coroners also perform the following duties:

  • Completing death certificates (see following note) and other records once an investigation is complete
  • Determining need for autopsy and arranging for autopsies to be performed
  • Documenting the death scene and performing interviews to determine medical and social circumstances
  • Identifying next-of-kin and notifying family members in a respectful and sensitive manner
  • Positively identifying the deceased with the aid of dental records, fingerprints and X-rays
  • Pronouncing death and determining the time of death
  • Providing conclusive information and records to family members, law enforcement, and health care professionals
  • Skillfully removing the deceased from the scene, taking care not to disturb evidence
  • Testifying objectively in legal matters
  • Working with county, state and federal agencies to proactively develop disaster/emergency plans

Following Note
Coroners complete only one section of the Wyoming Death Certificate; Coroners’ Offices in Wyoming do not actually produce or archive death certificates.

These records are available through Wyoming Vital Records.