The current average time for a Medical Examiner's case to close, or for causes to be determined on a pending case is 4 to 6 months.

Death Certificates

The Medical Examiner’s Office does not issue death certificates. For a copy of a death certificate, please contact the Office of Vital Records. They can be reached at 619-692-5733, or at their website here.

 

Medical Examiner’s Reports

To request a copy of a Medical Examiner’s report, please email records.mx@sdcounty.ca.gov, or call our office at 858-694-2895. Please have as much of the following information as possible:

  • Decedent’s name
  • Date of death
  • Date of birth
  • Decedent’s Medical Examiner case number

Availability

Medical Examiner’s reports are only available after a case has closed. It takes an average of 4 to 6 months for our cases to close, but please keep in mind that this is just an average. Each case is unique and some may take longer to close, depending on the circumstances. We do not issue any preliminary or draft reports.

M.E. reports are public record and are available to any interested party, with the following exceptions:

  • If a case has been sealed by law enfrocement, then information and documents regarding that case cannot be released to anyone other than the assigned detective and the District Attorney’s Office.
  • Certain information must be redacted from our reports. This includes personal addresses or contact information, and medical history that is not related to the decedent’s cause of death. 

Fees

There is no fee for an emailed copy of the Medical Examiner’s reports.

Hard copies are available for a fee of $1.60 per page, plus postage. If you would like a hard copy of the reports, please state that in your request. You will receive an invoice first, and then reports will be mailed after the invoice is paid.  

Contents

The contents of a Medical Examiner’s report can vary depending on the kind of exam that took place. For cases where a full autopsy was performed, the report will likely be several pages long. It will include:

  • the exam findings
  • the doctor’s conclusions about the cause and manner of death
  • an opinion section that explains how the doctor came to their conclusions

For cases where an external exam was performed, the reports will likely include:

  • a cause of death worksheet that lists the doctor’s conclusions
  • the notes and diagrams from the external exam

Toxicology testing is performed in approximately 70% of M.E. cases. A toxicology report will be included for any case where toxicology testing was performed.

Photographs are never included with reports.