Medical Examiner

The Orange County FL Medical Examiner is part of the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office, which investigates certain deaths in Orange and Osceola Counties and determines cause and manner of death when required by Florida law. This page explains what the office does, which deaths may fall under its jurisdiction, how autopsies and body releases are handled, how families can request autopsy reports or obtain death certificates, how cremation approvals work, and how to avoid contacting the wrong office or using the wrong process.

Medical Examiner Office Role

The Orange County Medical Examiner provides access to information about death investigations, cremation approvals, unidentified decedents, office procedures, and Medical Examiner statistics. The work itself is performed by the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office.

District Nine serves both Orange County and Osceola County. Its purpose is to meet public and judicial needs by conducting death investigations and determining cause and manner of death as required under Florida Statute 406. The office describes its work as providing independent medical evaluation in deaths involving concerns related to public health, safety, and community welfare.

The office includes a chief medical examiner, associate medical examiners, medicolegal investigators, forensic technicians, and administrative support staff. The District Nine office is accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners.

Office Hours and Operations

The business office operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Death calls are handled 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and autopsies are completed daily, seven days a week. These schedules are different, so a 24-hour death-call operation does not mean that the administrative business office is open at all hours.

The official Medical Examiner’s Office page provides the office’s current role, service area, staffing information, and hours of operation.

Deaths Under Medical Examiner Jurisdiction

Not every death in Orange County becomes a Medical Examiner case. Jurisdiction is determined under Florida State Statute Chapter 406.11 and Florida Administrative Code 11G-2. The circumstances surrounding the death, rather than simply the location of death, determine whether the Medical Examiner must become involved.

Deaths that may fall within Medical Examiner jurisdiction include:

Deaths caused by trauma, including trauma resulting from an accident, criminal violence, or suicide.

Trauma-related deaths even when the person was admitted to a hospital before death.

Deaths that occur suddenly while the person appeared to be in good health.

Deaths involving a person who was not under the care of a physician.

Cases in which the physician is outside Florida and does not have a Florida license that permits the physician to sign the death certificate.

Deaths occurring in prison, jail, or police custody.

Deaths that appear suspicious or occur under unusual circumstances.

Deaths involving a potential threat to public health.

Deaths associated with employment.

A death meeting one of these conditions should not be treated as an ordinary administrative death-record matter. The Medical Examiner may need to investigate the circumstances, examine the decedent, collect evidence, obtain records, or perform an autopsy before determining the cause and manner of death.

Who Reports a Death?

The Medical Examiner’s Office does not accept routine death reports directly from the general public. According to the office’s procedures, death reports should come from law enforcement agencies, funeral homes, or medical facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, and hospice providers.

If a death occurs at home, the appropriate process is to contact law enforcement. Law enforcement can then notify the Medical Examiner’s Office when the circumstances require Medical Examiner involvement. This distinction helps prevent families from trying to initiate a formal death report through an administrative inquiry channel that is not intended for that purpose.

Autopsy Decisions and Examinations

A case falling within Medical Examiner jurisdiction does not automatically result in a full autopsy. A medical examiner decides whether an autopsy is necessary based on the circumstances and type of case.

Cases involving criminal violence or recent trauma are almost always subject to a complete autopsy. Other cases may be resolved through an examination, investigation, medical records, laboratory findings, or other information available to the Medical Examiner.

Next-of-Kin Permission

When an autopsy is required in a case under Medical Examiner jurisdiction, Florida law does not require the Medical Examiner to obtain permission from the decedent’s next of kin. The office states that religious objections are addressed through consultation on a case-by-case basis.

This is different from situations in which a family may make decisions about private medical procedures or funeral arrangements. Medical Examiner examinations are performed as part of the office’s statutory responsibilities for qualifying deaths.

Identification at the Morgue

Families usually do not need to go to the morgue to identify a loved one. The Medical Examiner’s Office attempts to complete identification at the scene of death and rarely requires family members or friends to identify a person at the morgue.

Bodies are fingerprinted upon arrival, and photographs are taken. Families therefore should not assume that an in-person morgue identification is a standard step that must be arranged before other procedures can continue.

Pending Cause and Manner

A death certificate may show the case as “pending” when additional laboratory studies or investigative work are necessary before the Medical Examiner can determine the cause or manner of death. Pending status does not mean that the entire case has stopped or that the decedent must remain at the Medical Examiner facility until every test is complete.

The office does not establish a single time frame for resolving pending cases because each investigation is handled independently. Some cases can take twelve weeks to move from pending status to a completed cause or manner determination.

Body Release While Pending

Laboratory or investigative delays generally do not require a body to remain at the Medical Examiner’s facility for the entire investigation. Most bodies can be released to the funeral home selected by the family within 24 to 48 hours after the examination.

The exact period depends on the time needed to examine the body, perform an autopsy when required, and collect physical evidence. A family therefore should distinguish between release of the decedent and completion of the Medical Examiner’s investigative findings. Those are separate stages and may occur weeks apart.

Releasing a Loved One

The legal next of kin is responsible for making arrangements with a funeral home or crematorium. The next of kin must sign a written release authorizing the Medical Examiner’s Office to release the body.

The office provides a release document for the family to complete and give to the funeral home. Families generally work through the funeral home or crematorium rather than attempting to physically claim the body from the Medical Examiner facility themselves.

This process is also separate from requesting records. Authorizing release of the decedent does not serve as a request for an autopsy report, and requesting an autopsy report does not serve as authorization to release the body.

Autopsy Report Requests

Families and other requesters can use the procedures described in the county’s Medical Examiner questions and answers to request a completed autopsy report. A request must be made in writing and may be submitted by mail, fax, or email.

The request should include:

The name of the deceased.
The date of death.
An email address or mailing address where the completed report should be sent.

Email is identified by the office as the preferred delivery method for requests. Requests may be sent to Medical.Examiner@ocfl.net.

There is no charge to the family for a requested copy of an autopsy report. Other requesters may be charged depending on the amount of work necessary to complete the request and the volume of reports requested.

Active Criminal Investigations

Autopsy reports are subject to an important restriction when a death involves a homicide or an active criminal investigation. In those circumstances, the Medical Examiner’s Office cannot forward the report without permission from the investigating officer or the State Attorney’s Office.

A requester should therefore avoid assuming that completion of an autopsy automatically means the report can immediately be released. The status of a related criminal investigation can affect access independently of the Medical Examiner’s medical work.

Autopsy Reports Versus Death Certificates

An autopsy report and a certified death certificate are different records obtained through different procedures. The Medical Examiner investigates qualifying deaths and can provide its reports, but it does not issue certified death certificates.

A certified copy of a death certificate must be obtained through the appropriate Office of Vital Statistics or through the funeral home handling the arrangements. For a death connected to Orange County, Orange County Vital Statistics is the relevant county office identified in the Medical Examiner’s instructions.

This distinction is particularly useful when a bank, insurer, government agency, court, or another organization requests a “death certificate.” An autopsy report should not be requested as a substitute unless the organization specifically needs the Medical Examiner’s findings.

Personal Property and Evidence

Personal effects transported with a body are inventoried. Under ordinary circumstances, those effects are turned over to the funeral home so they can be returned to the family.

Homicide cases are handled differently. Personal effects are turned over to law enforcement as evidence unless law enforcement specifically directs the Medical Examiner’s Office to release an item to the family. Families dealing with a homicide investigation therefore should not assume that property will accompany the decedent when the body is released.

Property Without Located Next of Kin

The office also has procedures for property when next of kin cannot be located. Cash is transferred to the county government where the death occurred for proper disposition. Property with negligible or no reasonably discernible monetary value is retained for one year and may then be destroyed after the office documents due diligence in attempting to locate next of kin.

Property with monetary value is also retained for one year. After that period, it is transferred to the county government where the death occurred for proper disposition.

Cremation Approval Process

Cremation approval is a separate Medical Examiner function and is generally handled between the office and the funeral home, crematorium, or other official cremation facility. Families should not confuse this process with the procedures for requesting an autopsy report or authorizing release of a body.

The county’s cremation approval information explains that a crematorium, funeral home, or other official cremation facility alerts the Medical Examiner through the state registration system when an electronic death certificate requires review for cremation approval.

If the funeral home did not file an electronic death certificate through the state registration system, a completed paper death certificate must be faxed to the Medical Examiner’s Office through the designated cremation-document fax process.

Medical Examiner Review

A medical examiner reviews the death certificate and either approves the cremation request or seeks additional information about the death. When more information is required, medicolegal investigators obtain the necessary documentation.

After the additional information is reviewed, the request may be approved as submitted. Alternatively, the circumstances may result in the death being processed as a case under Medical Examiner jurisdiction.

Cremation Fee and Billing

A $60 fee is assessed for each cremation approval processed, effective October 1, 2025. The requesting facilities are sent monthly invoices covering cremation approvals from the previous month.

Payments must be made payable to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. Because the requesting facility is responsible for the approval process and receives the monthly invoice, families should avoid treating the Medical Examiner’s cremation approval fee as a separate public payment procedure that they need to initiate directly with the office.

Unidentified Decedent Cases

The District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office maintains information concerning decedents who have not been identified. The office reports having more than fifty unidentified decedents spanning a period of more than twenty years.

The official Unidentified Decedent Registry page explains how members of the public can review information that may help establish an identity. The office references the Florida Unidentified Decedents DataBase, which compiles unidentified-decedent information from Florida’s district medical examiner offices, and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a national repository for missing-person and unidentified-decedent records.

If someone recognizes information that may help identify a decedent, the information should be provided to the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office. A possible match should be treated as a lead for the office to evaluate rather than as confirmation of identity.

Medical Examiner Case Statistics

Orange County also provides a government-operated Medical Examiner statistics dashboard. The dashboard contains Medical Examiner data with fields that include dates, county information, ZIP Codes, and categories such as accident, suicide, natural, and pending.

The dashboard is useful for viewing statistical information, but it should not be confused with an individual family’s case record, an autopsy report request system, or a certified death-certificate service. Someone seeking documentation about a particular decedent should use the appropriate Medical Examiner records procedure rather than relying on dashboard entries.

Preparing an Office Request

The information a person should prepare depends on the task. Mixing the requirements for different services can delay a request or lead to contacting an office that cannot provide the requested document.

For an Autopsy Report

Prepare the decedent’s full name, date of death, and the email or mailing address where the report should be delivered. Submit the request in writing. Families are not charged for their requested copy, while other requesters may face charges based on the work and volume involved.

For a Death Certificate

Do not submit an autopsy-report request to obtain a certified death certificate. The Medical Examiner cannot issue the certificate. The certified record must come from Vital Statistics or the funeral home handling the arrangements.

For Body Release

The legal next of kin should select a funeral home or crematorium, complete the necessary arrangements, and sign the written release authorizing the Medical Examiner to transfer the body. The release process can generally proceed even when the cause or manner of death remains pending.

For Cremation Approval

The funeral home, crematorium, or other official cremation facility initiates the approval process through the state registration system. If an electronic death certificate was not filed through that system, the facility follows the paper death-certificate procedure described by the Medical Examiner.

Common Process Mistakes

Several Medical Examiner procedures involve different agencies, documents, and responsibilities. Keeping those distinctions clear can prevent unnecessary requests.

Autopsy report and death certificate: The Medical Examiner can provide an autopsy report under its records procedure, but a certified death certificate comes from Vital Statistics or the funeral home.

Jurisdiction and autopsy: A death falling under Medical Examiner jurisdiction does not automatically mean a full autopsy will be performed.

Pending status and body release: A pending cause or manner of death can continue after the body has been released to the funeral home.

Public inquiry and death reporting: Formal death reports are accepted from law enforcement, funeral homes, and medical facilities. A death at home should be reported to law enforcement so the appropriate notification can be made.

Family arrangements and Medical Examiner release: The legal next of kin works with a funeral home or crematorium and signs a written authorization for release rather than attempting to collect the body directly.

Cremation approval and family requests: The official cremation facility initiates the Medical Examiner approval process; it is not the same as a family records request.

Completed report and releasable report: A homicide or active criminal investigation may prevent release of an autopsy report until permission is obtained from the investigating officer or State Attorney’s Office.

Email and Public Records

The District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office accepts email for questions and written record requests, including autopsy report requests. People using email should be aware that messages sent to the office become part of Orange County public records.

Orange County states that comments received through its email system can be read by people who request access, subject to information that is protected from disclosure, including information considered a threat to the security of law enforcement agencies and personnel. Because email may become a public record, a requester should provide the information needed for the request without assuming that the message is private correspondence.

Medical Examiner Offices

District Nine Medical Examiner's Office
2350 E. Michigan Street
Orlando, Florida 32806
(407) 836-9400

Orange County Vital Statistics
832 W. Central Blvd
Orlando, FL 32805
(407) 858-1460

Osceola County Vital Statistics
1875 Boggy Creek Rd.
Kissimmee, FL 34744
(407) 343-2009

Medical Examiner FAQs

Is there an official form for requesting an autopsy report?

Yes. Orange County provides a Request for Autopsy Report form through its Medical Examiner frequently asked questions page. Using the form can help make sure the identifying information needed to locate the correct case is included. A request should not be treated as immediate access to the report, because the report must be complete and may also be subject to restrictions connected with an active criminal investigation.

Can a religious objection affect an autopsy decision?

A religious objection can be raised, but it does not automatically prevent an autopsy. Florida law allows a medical examiner to perform an autopsy without next-of-kin authorization when the examination falls within Medical Examiner jurisdiction. Orange County states that religious objections are considered through consultation on an individual basis. Families with such concerns should therefore raise them as early as possible rather than assuming that ordinary consent rules control the examination.

Can I search unidentified Medical Examiner cases online?

Orange County maintains an official Unidentified Decedent Registry explaining how the public can review unidentified-decedent information. The District Nine office reports more than fifty unidentified decedents spanning more than twenty years. Information found through an unidentified-person search should be treated as a possible lead, not proof that a particular missing person has been identified.

What happens if cremation paperwork needs more review?

A cremation request is not necessarily approved as soon as the death certificate reaches the Medical Examiner. According to Orange County’s cremation approval process, a medical examiner may request additional information about the death. Medicolegal investigators can obtain supporting documentation for review. After that review, the request may be approved as submitted, or the circumstances may cause the death to be processed as a Medical Examiner case.