Medical Examiner
The Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services investigates certain deaths, determines cause and manner of death, and helps families with questions about examinations, release of remains, and autopsy reports. This article explains when the office becomes involved, how families can make arrangements, what information a records request requires, and how the county’s indigent cremation program works.
What the Medical Examiner Does
The Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services (OMETS) serves Florida’s District 17. Its death investigation work includes examining deaths that are sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious, or otherwise within the medical examiner’s jurisdiction. The office may investigate the circumstances of a death, obtain medical and other records, examine the body, arrange laboratory testing, and determine the cause and manner of death.
Cause of death describes the injury or disease that led to death. Manner of death describes how the death is classified after investigation. Reaching those determinations may require information from the scene, medical history, an external examination or autopsy, toxicology testing, and microscopic examination of tissue. The amount of examination and testing varies by case.
OMETS also oversees Broward County’s trauma system. Its Trauma Services work includes coordinating with hospitals and emergency medical services, maintaining trauma plans and transport protocols, and monitoring the system. Families contacting the office about a death will generally be dealing with its investigations, pathology, records, or disposition functions rather than Trauma Services.
Deaths That Require Investigation
Not every death in Broward County becomes a medical examiner case. The circumstances of the death determine whether the office must be notified and whether it accepts the case. Broward County’s medical examiner questions and answers identify reportable circumstances that include:
Death caused by an accident or traumatic injury, including an older injury that contributed to the death.
A sudden death in someone who appeared to be in good health.
A suspicious or unusual death, or one in which criminal violence or suicide may be involved.
Death in a prison, jail, or police custody.
A death that may involve a threat to public health or an injury or exposure associated with employment.
A death when the person was not under a physician’s care, or when a person is found deceased outside a healthcare facility.
A death occurring after a person reaches a hospital can still require medical examiner investigation if an accident, injury, or other reportable circumstance contributed to it. The presence of a treating physician does not, by itself, resolve that question. Hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and other professionals should use the applicable reporting process when the circumstances call for notification.
Who Should Report a Death?
The office’s guidance says reports of death should be taken from law enforcement, funeral homes, or medical facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice providers. If a person dies at home, the family should contact law enforcement, which can notify the medical examiner’s office. Someone concerned that foul play was involved should contact the law enforcement agency where the person died or was injured.
County forms distinguish an apparent natural death from a death that needs medical examiner investigation. The facility natural death report is for the limited circumstances described on that form, including an apparent natural death with a Florida physician willing to certify its cause. It directs the reporting party to call the medical examiner’s office when circumstances such as traumatic injury, overdose, or another non-natural cause are present. Families should not treat a natural death form as a way to decide independently whether a death is reportable.
Examinations and Autopsy Decisions
Acceptance as a medical examiner case does not mean an autopsy will always occur. The assigned medical examiner decides what examination is appropriate for the circumstances. Some cases involve an external examination; others require an autopsy and additional testing. An autopsy can include examination of internal organs and collection of tissue, hair, or bodily fluid samples. The examiner determines the extent of the examination and which samples need further analysis.
Under the office’s guidance, an autopsy is required when criminal violence is suspected to have contributed to the death. The medical examiner does not need next-of-kin permission to perform an autopsy within the office’s jurisdiction. Religious objections are considered through consultation on a case-by-case basis, but a family’s objection does not determine the final decision.
If a family wishes to object to an autopsy, it should contact the Investigations Department as soon as possible and make that wish known. Scheduling varies, and an examination may begin before a delayed request reaches the assigned examiner. The county’s information for families explains that the medical examiner assigned to the case makes the final decision; an autopsy is required in homicide cases and certain other circumstances.
Release of Remains to a Funeral Facility
The person legally authorized to make funeral arrangements must sign a release authorization before OMETS releases remains to the chosen funeral facility. The funeral home or crematory can provide the authorization for the family to sign. A relative should not assume that being the first person to contact the office makes them the legally authorized person; the applicable priority for directing disposition matters.
The county’s authorization for release and removal calls for information about the deceased person, the legally authorized person, the funeral facility, and a witness. It requires signatures and states that incomplete, illegible, or verbal authorizations will not be accepted. Families working through a funeral facility should make sure the names and contact information on the completed authorization are legible and that the intended facility is identified.
In most cases, remains can be released after the examination is complete. The county says most decedents can be released to the funeral home chosen by the legal next of kin within 24 to 48 hours after death, although donation arrangements, a high caseload, or other circumstances can cause delays. A case can remain under investigation after the body is released. An unidentified body cannot be released until positive identification has been made, and the time needed for that differs by case.
Identification and Personal Property
Families usually do not need to visit the medical examiner’s facility to identify a loved one. According to the office, law enforcement identifies many deceased people at the scene using known identification images. When visual identification is not possible, scientific methods may be used. Viewing remains at the medical examiner’s office is prohibited, and circumstances requiring a family member or friend to assist with identification there are rare. A family with questions about how identification was made should contact the office before traveling to the facility.
Personal effects that arrive with a body are inventoried and ordinarily transferred to the funeral home for return to the family. In homicide cases, personal effects are turned over to law enforcement as evidence unless law enforcement directs the office to release a particular item. A family seeking property from such a case should account for that distinction when asking where an item is held.
Autopsy Reports and Death Certificates
An autopsy report and a death certificate serve different purposes and come from different sources. OMETS produces an autopsy report describing significant findings from its examination and, when applicable, tissue analysis or other testing. The medical examiner’s office cannot issue a certified death certificate. The county directs people seeking a certified copy of a death certificate to the Office of Vital Statistics or the funeral home handling the arrangements.
A death certificate may initially show that the cause or manner of death is pending while laboratory studies or further investigation continue. The county says most pending cases are finalized within 12 weeks, though an unusual case can take longer. Pending findings do not, on their own, prevent the release of remains after the examination. They can, however, affect when a final autopsy report is available.
Requesting an Autopsy Report
The autopsy report request form asks for the deceased person’s name, date of birth, date of death, and medical examiner case number if known. The requester supplies their name, affiliation, and contact details. An email address allows the office to send the report electronically; a requester who wants a mailed report should complete the mailing address section instead. The form provides email, fax, and mail submission options.
The medical examiner case number can help identify the correct file, but the form asks for it only if known. It is distinct from a law enforcement case number and from any funeral home reference number. Giving the deceased person’s name and date of death accurately is especially useful when the medical examiner case number is unavailable.
The office asks families to allow up to 12 weeks for completed reports, while noting that many requests are fulfilled sooner. Its family guidance says the first copy is free. Other requesters may be charged depending on the work and volume involved. The Records and Information page explains that the office reviews inquiries for accuracy and for rules protecting public records and health-related information. A submitted request does not mean a report is final or immediately releasable.
Cases With Restricted Reports
Report access requires particular attention when an investigation remains active or the manner of death is homicide. The county’s family guidance says it does not fulfill report requests for cases with pending status or a homicide ruling. Its questions and answers explain that a report in a homicide or active investigation cannot be forwarded without permission from the investigating officer or State Attorney’s Office. Requesters should not rely on a general public-record assumption to expect immediate delivery in those cases.
The request form also identifies confidential and exempt autopsy reports involving a minor victim of domestic violence or a person whose manner of death was suicide. It includes a separate section for an individual claiming authority to receive such a record. That section asks the requester to state the qualifying relationship or capacity and sign the certification. People requesting one of these reports should use the applicable section of the form rather than submitting an ordinary request with the certification omitted.
Indigent Cremation and Disposition
OMETS administers an Indigent Cremation and Disposition Program for deceased people who have no family or whose family cannot afford private funeral arrangements. The death must have occurred in Broward County; county residency is not required. This is a final disposition program offering basic services. It does not provide viewing, embalming, memorial services, or a cash payment toward a private funeral.
The county’s 2026 application packet states that an applicant claiming indigent status must meet the program’s household income standard. It also asks about life insurance, victim compensation, and prepaid arrangements. Families should use the 2026 Indigent Cremation application packet to review the application and its required documentation before submitting it.
The packet calls for the ICP application, a death certificate worksheet, and an authorization for cremation and disposition. Required identity documents include government-issued photo identification for the deceased person and applicant, plus the deceased person’s Social Security card. An applicant claiming indigent status must also provide the financial documents requested in the packet, including proof of income and a recent bank statement. Incomplete paperwork can delay acceptance or processing.
The program can take eight weeks or more to complete a case. Families seeking a more immediate disposition should account for that time before choosing the program. Once the deceased person has been transferred to a funeral home, the county says the indigent program cannot intervene. If an applicant makes private funeral arrangements after submitting an ICP application, the program asks to be notified.
A family approved for the indigent program may elect to claim the cremated remains. The 2026 packet lists a $100 cremation fee and a $50 county administrative fee for an indigent family claiming them. Shipping, if requested, is at the family’s expense through the program’s contracted funeral provider. The program’s authorization describes scattering at sea if the remains are not claimed within the stated period. Families completing that authorization should select and review the disposition choice that reflects their wishes.
Medical Examiner Offices
Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services — 5301 SW 31st Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 — 954-357-5200
Indigent Cremation Program — 5301 SW 31st Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 — 954-357-5243
Medical Examiner FAQs
Can organ or tissue donation still happen?
Yes, donation may be possible while the Medical Examiner’s Office investigates a death. The legal next of kin must authorize organ or tissue donation. After that authorization, the medical examiner assigned to the case decides whether donation can proceed without compromising the investigation or necessary evidence. A medical examiner may object in a rare case. Families who want to pursue donation should raise the question promptly; the county’s medical examiner FAQs explain how the decision is made.
Why does the Medical Examiner’s Office review cremation requests?
Broward County says the office reviews and approves cremation requests to ensure that a death requiring investigation is not overlooked before remains are cremated. This review does not mean every person being cremated becomes a medical examiner case. If you are arranging cremation, the funeral facility can handle the applicable request and tell you when it can proceed. The county describes this responsibility on the Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services page.
What happens to belongings if no next of kin is found?
The county treats unclaimed belongings according to their type. Cash and property with monetary value are ultimately turned over to the government of the county where the death occurred for proper disposition. Property with negligible or no reasonably discernible monetary value is retained for one year and then destroyed after efforts to locate next of kin are documented. If you believe you are entitled to a deceased person’s belongings, ask where the items are held before making arrangements to collect them; property connected to a homicide may be held by law enforcement as evidence.
Can a family apply for indigent cremation before a death?
The county’s indigent cremation application packet includes a “Pre-Approval (Death Imminent)” option as well as an “At-Need (Death Occurred)” option. Pre-approval does not remove the program’s requirement that the death occur in Broward County. Families considering this option should review the packet’s eligibility questions and required documents while they have time to gather them.