Medical examiner

The medical examiner investigates all unexpected deaths in Hennepin, Dakota and Scott counties, to determine how and why a person has died. On request, the office also provides autopsy services for other jurisdictions.

Information for families (PDF, 1MB)

Families and next of kin

We use scientific methods to learn how and why a person has died. The information we gather can influence the outcome of court cases, and help surviving family members protect their own health.

Autopsy and results

An autopsy is a thorough physical examination of a body to determine how and why a person died. The examination can also identify disease, injury and other conditions that might not have been obvious when the person was alive. Upon request, certain family members (spouse, children, parents and siblings) may be entitled to an autopsy report.

Request an autopsy report

In some cases, an autopsy is required by law. If you think your loved one would object to an autopsy based on their religious beliefs, tell the medical examiner right away. We will work with you to find a solution.

Also, sometimes the medical examiner must keep larger portions of tissues or even whole organs to fully examine them. If you want those returned, write to our office within two weeks of the autopsy and make arrangements through a funeral director. Otherwise, the tissues and organs are destroyed.

Organ and tissue donation

An investigator or hospital staff may have already approached you about donating your loved one’s tissues or organs. If not, and you’re interested in donation, tell the medical examiner staff right away.

Clothing and property

The medical examiner will account for all the property and clothing brought into the office and store them in a secure area. In most cases, we release clothing and property to the funeral home. The police might hold items that could affect a criminal case.

Public and nonpublic information

Certain information about the death is available to the public, including full name; age; race; gender; home address; date, time and location of injury; date, time and location of death, and brief descriptive comments. Other information about the death is available only to next-of-kin (usually a spouse, children, parents and siblings), and personal lawyers and doctors.

Request a death certificate

For deaths occurring in other Minnesota counties, request a death certificate from state vital records.

Release of the body

The funeral home may receive the body only with permission from the person with the legal right to decide what happens to the body. In most cases, this is next of kin, but it could also be a health care agent or a member of the extended family. This person must inform the medical examiner’s office if someone else will be making decisions about the body.

Burial assistance

When families can’t afford burial or cremation, the county may be able to help with those expenses.

Forms for genetic and paternity testing

Law enforcement, hospitals, hospice, funeral homes, and referral counties

Report a death in Hennepin, Dakota or Scott County

Call 612-215-6300

Referral autopsy forms

Decedent identification and autopsy referral forms are required on all referral cases. Forms must be submitted prior to the transport of the body to the Medical Examiner's Office.

Courtesy hold

Funeral homes may request to temporarily store a body at the Medical Examiner's Office. There is a fee charged for this service.

Decedent identification form

Body release forms

Forms for death reporting, hospice and cremation

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office no longer accepts paper or faxed cremation approvals. All requests for cremation authorization must be filed and approved in the MR&C system.

Funeral Home Fees

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner charges certain fees to funeral homes. These fees are established by the Hennepin County Board in accordance with Minnesota Statute 390.15.

Body bag $40 (plus tax)

Body bag fees are charged on cases the medical examiner takes custody of the body.

Cremation authorization $50

Cremation authorization fees are charged on all cases, including those receiving county assistance.

Email an investigator

me.investigators@hennepin.us

Get directions to our office

Medical Examiner's Office
14250 County Road 62
Minnetonka, MN 55345

Data requests and public information

Death certificates are not created or distributed by the Medical Examiner’s Office. You can apply for vital records through Hennepin County Service Centers.

Learn who can get a death certificate and how to apply

Data maintained by the Medical Examiner’s Office are defined as public or nonpublic by Minn. Stat. §13.83.

Options for obtaining data from the Medical Examiner's Office

Active investigations: The Reportable Death List contains available public data on deaths reportable to the Medical Examiner under Minn. Stat. 390.11, subd. 1, for which there is an active death investigation. Upon completion of the investigation, all available public data will be available through the public information database.

View the Reportable Death List

Closed investigations: All publicly available information about a decedent (specifically outlined in Minn. Stat. §13.83, subd. 2) can be found in the searchable database. Information about a decedent appears in this database after a death certificate is signed; until the certificate is signed, the information is nonpublic and will not appear in the searchable data. There is no cost to access these public data.

Search the Medical Examiner public information database

Authorized access: Nonpublic information is available to those with statutory authorization to access those data (see Minn. Stat. §13.83, subds. 5 and 8). Nonpublic information can be requested using the data request form. Costs vary depending on the type of report; see below.

Submit a Medical Examiner data request form

Type and cost of reports

Autopsy Report $50

Only the deceased person's next of kin, the physician who treated the deceased person at the time of death, and authorized attorneys can request an autopsy report. Next of kin is usually a spouse, children, parents or siblings. The person making the request must submit legal authorization to obtain this information. Autopsy reports may also become part of a court record or released by court order. The fee for an autopsy report may be waived for the next of kin.

Cause of death hierarchy $30

This report provides the cause and manner of death, and toxicology results. This report has nonpublic data and the person requesting it must submit legal authorization to obtain this information.

Medical Examiner Final $30

This is a summary of case details including cause and manner of death, brief history, summary concerning the demise. This report has nonpublic data and the person requesting it must submit legal authorization to obtain this information.

Medical Examiner Investigative Reports $60

Investigative reports contain the deceased person’s name, age, race, gender, home address, the legal next of kin, location of death, injury detail, narrative and additional reports. This report has nonpublic data and the person requesting it must submit legal authorization to obtain this information.

Photos $100

When photos are available, next of kin, the physician who treated the deceased person at the time of death, and authorized attorneys can request photos of the death scene and autopsy. Next of kin are usually a spouse, children, parents and siblings. The person requesting photos must submit legal authorization to obtain this information. Photos may also become part of a court record or released by court order.

Complete Medical Examiner file $325

This report has nonpublic data and the person requesting it must submit legal authorization to obtain this information.

Unidentified Persons project

Help us identify these individuals

The Medical Examiner’s Office is actively working to identify these unknown persons. This work is a collaborative effort with partners across the state and nation, including the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and the Minnesota Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office.

If you have information about these cases, call the Medical Examiner’s Office: 612-215-6300

Cases are listed in chronological order:

Medical examiner statutes

State law governs the work of the medical examiner’s office.

Duties of the office - Minnesota Statute 390

Release of data about deaths – Minnesota Statute 13.83

Right to control and duty of disposition - Minnesota Statute 149A.80

About the Medical Examiner's Office

Employment

Find current opportunities for the Medical Examiner’s Office on the Hennepin Jobs page. We do not offer internships.

Hennepin Jobs

Annual reports

Potential fellows

We have a strong educational mission to train future medical doctors and forensic pathologists. We offer a full year fellowship program in forensic pathology. Applications are accepted year-round from current medical students and residents, and submitting applications 2-3 years early is strongly encouraged.

Fellowships start every July 1st. At the start of the fellowship, the selected fellow must have successfully completed their undergraduate medical education and have successfully completed 4 years of AP/CP OR at 3 years of AP residency at an accredited medical education institution. The fellow should desire to acquire post-graduate medical education and training in forensic pathology.

The fellow must meet the qualifications for eligibility outlined in the Essentials of Accredited Residencies in Graduate Medical Education in the AMA graduate education directory. Falsification of any of the application or information documents, or failure to meet eligibility requirements, constitutes cause for dismissal.

More information

Questions

Prior to submitting application materials, please contact us to learn about availability.

me.inforequest@hennepin.us
612-215-6300

For students

Educational opportunities

We have a strong educational mission to train future medical doctors and forensic pathologists. Our office has an accredited fellowship program in forensic pathology and collaborates with the University of Minnesota to provide rotational opportunities for medical students and residents.

We also partner with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to provide specialized training to law enforcement officers.

If you are a medical student and interested in scheduling a visiting rotation with us, you can find information on the University of Minnesota website.