‘My loved one died and the police came out. Now they’re saying that the body is with the Coroner. What happens now?’
- Michelle Clayford
- Jan 23
- 3 min read
I'd firstly like to say how sorry I am for your loss. This is a very confusing and difficult time which won't be helped by the Coroner (HMC) being involved. As an ex Coroner's Officer, I have a unique understanding of what families endure at this time. Secondly, police involvement doesn't necessarily mean any foul play. If a death occurs at home or in public, police will attend. This is normally to establish what has happened and sometimes to provide initial first aid. If needed, they'll also set up a scene guard to prevent any loss of evidence.
When someone dies there are a number of reasons why HMC may become involved. Firstly, their death may be sudden or unexpected. It may be that although they had a known illness, that they hadn't seen a doctor in the last 14 days, so their GP can't issue a cause of death. It may be there was an accident or violent circumstances or even a drug related reason. HMC involvement will delay matters somewhat and it's important to tell your Funeral Director that HMC is involved. Please don't book a date for the service until you've been able to register the death and all the relevant paperwork is available. This can be costly and incredibly inconvenient to sort out. A post-mortem (PM), an examination of the body by a special doctor, will need to take place, potentially tissue samples will be taken and an Inquest may need to be opened and adjourned.
As you can imagine, this all takes time and there'll be a lot of information to absorb. Your case will be assigned a Coroner's Officer who'll keep you up to date with what's happening. Do be aware, your person will not be their only case, so please be patient with them. If a natural cause of death is identified immediately at the PM, then HMC will normally accept this and the body will be released to your Funeral Director, the relevant paperwork sent to the Registrars and a date can be set for the funeral.
Now, if the cause of death is not natural, if drugs or neglect or violence is involved, an Inquest will go ahead. This doesn't mean you can't have a funeral or that you will have to wait many months for one. You will need to wait for the Inquest to be opened and adjourned before you can set a date for the funeral though. This may take a week or so, depending on the area you live. You'll be issued Interim Death Certificates that can be used like a normal death certificate by HMC. Again, keep your Funeral Director updated. There may be circumstances where you may choose to wait for a funeral. If tissue samples or organs have been removed for further investigations, some people choose to reunite them with the body before a funeral happens. Be aware that this may take many months and may obviously be distressing. You can still have a service without the body and then hold another one later when they've returned to you. Other people choose to have a funeral with the body and either donate the organs or samples to medical science or choose to inter them after they've been returned.
If someone died from a violent death and the police have arrested someone, then this complicates matters even more. Each suspect is entitled to have a Forensic PM performed on the deceased, which obviously causes distress to family. A criminal case may take many months to reach trial and the body may not be released for much longer. However, HMC will be keen to release someone back to the family as soon as possible. The police need to be satisfied that they've obtained all the relevant information and all suspects have had the opportunity to examine the body. In this instance, an Inquest is likely to be closed after the criminal case has been heard as it's likely that all the evidence has been heard in criminal court.
HMC involvement is difficult, at times unavoidable and you can't opt out of it as much as you'd like to. HMC exists to establish certain facts and provides a vital evidence gathering duty. However, it can cause distress to families. The ultimate goal though, is to give you answers.
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