Medical Examiners and Coroners

Each Minnesota county has a medical examiner or coroner (ME/C) who investigates deaths where the cause was not natural. An ME/C with jurisdiction in the county where the death occurred must provide the cause of death in such cases. In some cases, certain wording in the cause of death statement will trigger MR&C to send the record to a medical examiner or coroner for review. An ME/C also reviews the cause of death statement before authorizing final disposition for any death when the body will be cremated.  

Use the Request to Change Cause or Manner of Death (PDF) form to change cause of death on a death certificate on which you are not named as the medical certifier. You must have jurisdiction in the county of death to make the change.

These guides will help you complete tasks in MR&C:

• Approve death record referral with/without cremation (PDF)
• Assume death record referral with/without cremation (PDF)
• Reassign referred death record (PDF)

Learn more: Medical Examiners' and Coroners' Handbook on Death Registration and Fetal Death Reporting (CDC)

Update your office information

Help ensure you are properly notified about relevant death records by reporting changes in your office. Use the Medical Examiner/Coroner Update or Service Area Change for MR&C (PDF) form to change medical examiner or coroner staff in your office or to add or remove counties in your service area.