FAQ

Deaths with a physician in attendance, such as fatalities that occur after more than 24 hours in the hospital or in a hospice or nursing home setting, are often not “coroner cases.” The attending physicians typically complete the death certificates and the decedent is available for immediate release to a mortuary or crematory as soon as arrangements can be made.

Deaths without a physician in attendance and fatalities that may be non-natural are reported to the coroner’s office and may become “coroner cases.” The coroner’s office will determine what is necessary to establish the manner and cause of death, assure that the next of kin has been identified and notified, and provide such other assistance as may be by law.

If the coroner’s office determines that it should take jurisdiction in a death, a deputy coroner will typically contact the next of kin, gather hospital reports and other medical records and reach out to any healthcare providers who have treated the decedent. After sufficient information is available to establish the manner and cause of death, the decedent will then be available for release to a mortuary or crematory when arrangements have been made.

By law, the "manner of death" refers to whether a fatality is a homicide, a suicide, an accident or a death by natural causes. The manner of death must be recorded on every death certificate.

Although it doesn’t happen often, it may not be possible to determine the manner of death. In such cases, Colorado law permits the manner of death to be reported as "undetermined."

The "cause of death" is a summary description of the process that caused the death of the person as it will be listed on the death certificate. Causes of death are often described as a series of events. For example, a cause of death in a heart attack may read “acute heart failure” due to "atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease." In a traffic fatality, the cause of death may read “multiple blunt force injuries” due to "two-vehicle crash on a roadway."

The death certificate language may use medical terminology that can seem confusing. Family members should feel comfortable asking the coroner’s office to explain what those terms mean in any coroner case.

Usually, a deputy coroner will reach out to the next of kin in any coroner case. If you are uncertain whether a fatality is a coroner case, you may call the Weld County Coroner’s Office at (970) 400-4990.

Most deaths do not require an autopsy to establish the manner and cause of death for the death certificate. Autopsies are generally reserved for cases in which the cause of death is unclear, or there is a law enforcement investigation, or an autopsy is required by law.

When the coroner’s office determines that an autopsy is necessary, the expense of the autopsy and related testing is paid by tax dollars.

In general, autopsies may be required when:

• a death may have been caused by apparent criminal violence
• a death results from a traffic incident, and the decedent was pronounced dead before evaluation at a hospital
• a death of an infant or child is unexpected or unexplained
• a death is associated with the police action or while the decedent is in custody of a local, state, federal institution
• a death is due to an acute workplace injury
• a death is due to an apparent electrocution or an unwitnessed or suspected drowning
• a death is caused by apparent intoxication by alcohol, drugs or poison
• a body is unidentified, and an autopsy may aid in identification
• the medical examiner deems an autopsy is necessary to determine cause or manner of death, or to collect evidence

A next of kin who does not want a decedent to have an autopsy should contact the coroner’s office at (970) 400-4990 to discuss the situation. We always want to hear from a next of kin who has concerns about the autopsy process.

You should call the coroner’s office at (970) 400-4990 to talk about the autopsy decision. Frequently, an autopsy decision becomes much more clear during such discussions, particularly when the results of the external examination or the contents of medical records can be reviewed.

If you still disagree with the coroner’s office decision after such a discussion, you may speak to the office about trying to schedule a private autopsy at your own expense. In such a case, a pathologist not serving as the county’s medical examiner for the case may agree to perform an autopsy, often at a cost of several thousand dollars.

No. Some autopsies are required because the manner and cause of death are not sufficiently clear for the death certificate to be properly completed. Often, such deaths are from natural causes, but an autopsy examination is necessary to properly determine what happened, even though there is nothing “suspicious” or suggestive of foul play or misconduct.

No. Autopsies are performed in a manner that allows decedents to have “open caskets” and viewings.

"Controlling the disposition of the body" refers to the legal process by which a funeral home, mortuary or crematory is selected (and paid), and arrangements are made to bury, cremate or otherwise manage what happens to the body of the person who has died.

The authority to control the disposition of the body of a person who has died is established in Colorado law at CRS §15-19-106. It is important to remember that the persons who may control the disposition of the body are not necessarily the same as the persons who may be beneficiaries of the decedent’s estate.

The law recognizes the authority to control disposition in the following order:

• any valid writings of the decedent stating what the disposition is to be, including a will, a Five Wishes document or another document that the law recognizes as adequate to control disposition;
• a person appointed by the court as the personal representative or executor for the decedent’s estate;
• a person nominated by the decedent in a will or other valid document to serve as personal representative or executor for the decedent’s estate
• the spouse of the decedent who is not legally separated (by a court order) from the decedent;
• the adult children (18 years of age or older) of the decedent, acting by a majority;
• the parents of the decedent (including adoptive parents), acting by majority;
• the adult siblings (18 years of age or older) of the decedent, acting by majority.

When there are no valid documents and no persons from that list are willing and able to control the disposition of the decedent’s body, any person willing to accept the decision-making responsibility and financial responsibility for the disposition of the decedent may act after certain time limits have been met. Contact the coroner’s office for details.

Grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives not named in the statute have no authority to control the disposition of the decedent’s body but may serve as persons willing and able to assume the responsibility if no one else steps forward. Best friends, life partners and other persons close to the decedent who do not have legal status in the decedent’s life may also serve as persons willing and able to assume the responsibility for disposition if no one on the list agrees to do so. Contact the coroner’s office for information about time limits and when it is appropriate for a non-relative to become involved.

When no one is willing and able to assume the responsibility for the disposition of the decedent’s body, the case may be referred to the Weld County Public Administrator, a person appointed by the courts to handle such matters for a fee.

Sometimes, loved ones may disagree among themselves about the disposition of the decedent’s remains. For example, the parents of the decedent may believe that a person claiming to be the decedent’s common-law spouse shouldn’t be allowed to act in that capacity.

The law requires that disputes over disposition that cannot be resolved by negotiation must be referred to the District Court for determination before the decedent can be released. Such a referral is rarely necessary. Usually, to honor the memory of the person who has died, people with a disagreement over the decedent’s disposition find a way to compromise on a mortuary or crematory and whether the decedent should be buried, cremated or managed in an alternative manner.

We often help people to reach a common agreement. Negotiated agreements for disposition do not control who inherits any assets the decedent may have had.

Families may find themselves financially unable to cover costs related to the final disposition of their loved one. Weld County Human Services may offer cremation for individuals with little or no income or resources. To qualify, both the decedent and the person legally responsible for the disposition of the remains must be indigent. Contact Weld County Human Services at (970) 352-1551 (press option 4, then option 5) to apply for burial assistance.

Some financial assistance for disposition may be available for US veterans. More information is available from the mortuary or crematory you choose to handle the disposition of your loved one.

We frequently work with families of decedents whose religious traditions require prompt burial of the remains. Contact the coroner’s office immediately at (970) 400-4990 to inform the office of this need.

No. Identification of loved ones is either performed at the scene or by scientific methods, such as fingerprints. Loved ones are not expected to come to the coroner’s office to perform an identification.

We certainly understand why you would want to see your loved one as soon as possible. However, strict adherence to privacy rules and the prevention of communicable disease require that you view your loved one at the mortuary or crematory you have selected.

The donation of solid organs (such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys) can be considered after a person has been fully evaluated in a hospital and has undergone a specific medical process that has determined brain death or established that the person cannot ever recover from a coma. Donor Alliance is the agency responsible for organ recoveries in Colorado and Wyoming. Typically, representatives of Donor Alliance will reach out to the next of kin when organ donation can be considered. More information can be obtained at the Donor Alliance website.

Tissue donation can sometimes occur within no more than 24 hours after the person has died. Tissue donations include skin, bone and connective tissue. Again, Donor Alliance is the agency responsible for tissue recoveries in Colorado and Wyoming. Representatives of Donor Alliance often reach out to the next of kin for this purpose. More information can be obtained at the Donor Alliance website.

Donation of the decedent’s cornea (the transparent covering of the eye) can also sometimes occur within 24 hours of the death. In Colorado and Wyoming, corneal recoveries and transplantation are overseen by the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank, which is based at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. More information is available at Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank.

Ethically, the coroner’s office cannot recommend a funeral care provider. To see a list, click on (list link). The presence of a mortuary or crematory on the list does not imply that the organization is “approved” by the coroner’s office.

A Proof of Death letter is available only to family members of a decedent in a Weld County "coroner’s case."

Request a proof of death letter.

Autopsy reports are matters of public record in Colorado. Autopsy reports typically contain the manner and cause of death and any relevant toxicology findings. Rarely, autopsy reports are sealed by court order during ongoing investigations.

To obtain an autopsy report, click on (reports link) and provide the requested information. If the autopsy report can be sent electronically, there is no charge. Autopsy reports are typically unavailable until 6-8 weeks after the autopsy is performed.

Coroner records other than the autopsy report are unavailable for public inspection pursuant to CRS §24-72-204. An exception may be made for specific persons or entities in interest, as defined by CRS §24-72-202, and may include the next of kin, the personal representative of the decedent’s estate or licensed attorneys who present an acceptable consent-to-release form signed by the personal representative or the next of kin.

The coroner’s office does not release third-party records obtained in the course of investigations, including but not limited to medical records and law enforcement information.

In the vast majority of cases, the mortuary or crematory selected to handle the decedent’s disposition will provide the requested number of certified copies of the death certificate to the decedent’s loved ones when the certificates become available. The easiest way to obtain a certified copy of a death certificate for your loved one is from the funeral director.

A “pending” death certificate may be issued shortly after the decedent’s death to permit the disposition of the decedent’s remains. A final or “amended” death certificate may then be issued after the final manner and cause of death has been established by the coroner’s office. A final or “amended” death certificate may not be available for several weeks after death. Typically, any delay in the final or “amended” death certificate is because the autopsy and laboratory reports are still pending.

By law, coroners in Colorado are not permitted to provide death certificates directly to family members. Instead, death certificates must be obtained through a “Vital Records” office authorized by the state, and the state charges loved ones a fee for each individual death certificate that is issued. Talk to your funeral care provider about how many “pending” and “amended” death certificates you should order to avoid unnecessary charges.

You may also choose to request a death certificate for your loved one from the Weld County Vital Records office. For eligibility, fees and restrictions, or to place an order, visit their website at https://www.weldgov.com/departments/health_and_environment/birth_death_certificates.

If the decedent was taken into the care of the coroner’s office, any property will be inventoried and kept safe. Most often, the property will be re-inventoried and released to the mortuary when the mortuary transfers the decedent from the coroner’s office to the funeral home.

To inquire about other arrangements for the return of property, contact the coroner’s office at (970) 400-4990.

Please contact the coroner’s office at (970) 400-4990 for assistance from a deputy coroner.

Please contact the coroner’s office at (970) 400-4990 for assistance from a deputy coroner.

The coroner’s office does not presently have any internships. “Shadowing” or “ride-alongs” with coroner personnel are limited to applicants who have successfully passed the first interview stage during a recruitment and undergone a background check as a part of the hiring process.

Autopsies are medical procedures, with all of the same ethical and privacy considerations that accompany a medical procedure performed on a living patient. Only persons acting in a professional capacity and officially connected to a specific case can be authorized to attend the autopsy of that person. The Weld County Coroner’s Office does not presently authorize students in health occupations to attend autopsies.

In cases where samples have been retained, usually at autopsy, DNA is available only by court order or by written and specific consent of the next of kin. DNA samples cannot be given directly to private persons and must be transmitted directly to the laboratory for chain of custody purposes.