Michael P. Burke

Livingston County Coroner

(815) 844-6367    Fax: (815) 844-4133

The Coroner's main duty is investigating deaths of individuals who die suddenly in a suspicious manner, in a public place or at work, without benefit of a doctor's care, in custody, or because of trauma, mechanical means or violence.

Death is a very private matter.

While our society often sensationalizes death investigations, real death is a solemn and personal matter.  Your county coroner is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to “speak for the dead.”

AT THE DEATH SCENE

There is more than meets the eye at a death scene.

What appears to be a natural death may be criminal,  an apparent suicide may actually be an accidental death, and a natural death may reveal serious implications for survivors. Because of criminal, civil and public health implications, your coroner must treat every death carefully.

Upon first learning that a person in the county has died from violence, casualty, unusual circumstances, suspicious activity or while in apparently good health, the coroner will notify an local law enforcement agency. Together, they investigate the scene. Often, the coroner must restrict access to the death scene in order to properly carry out the investigation. Illinois’ county coroners do not need the family’s permission to conduct an investigation, but do hasten to complete their investigations so that the family’s may grieve in peace.

YOUR LIVINGSTON COUNTY CORONER

As a citizen of Livingston County, Illinois you are served by a County Coroner. This person “speaks for the dead” by investigating suspicious, threatening or unusual deaths.

CORONER INVESTIGATIONS

Coroners investigate suspicious, unusual or unnatural deaths.

·        Homicides

·        Suicides

·        Accidents

·        Death by natural causes

·        Inmate deaths or cases in which cause of death originated while deceased was incarcerated or in custody

·        Deaths caused by diseases that may be public health threats

·        Deaths of persons whose bodies are to be cremated

·        Deaths of persons that are the result of some type of trauma

·        Death of person without benefit of physician, or someone who dies without having seen a physician within 72 hours while a resident of a nursing facility, or a patient less than 24 hours I a hospital

·        The vast majority of coroner investigations are natural deaths, including situations in which there is no attending physician to sign the death certificate, sudden or unexpected deaths or cases involving alcohol or other drugs of abuse.

CORONER DUTIES

Identification of the deceased

May be as easy as having a family member at the scene or as difficult as having only a few bones to work with and having to rely on various experts.

Determination of cause of death

the final factor or event that happened to the deceased; or the cascade of events, called the “mechanism” which leads to the cause of death.

Notification of next of kin.

Every attempt to notify family members is done through personal visits locally or through cooperation of other coroners or law enforcement agencies in other areas. We do no release names of the deceased until we have a positive ID and have located family members.

An Autopsy

If an autopsy is needed, the coroner will arrange for the post mortem examination by an Illinois licensed pathologist who frequently is a board certified forensic pathologist. Once the autopsy is completed, the preliminary results will be provided to the immediate next of kin, unless because of criminal findings, the release of information could interfere with future prosecution of a crime. When autopsy results have been finalized a death certificate will be issued if the death is from natural causes.

An Inquest

In some deaths the determination of manner (i.e. if a death is an accident, homicide, suicide, natural or undetermined) and the acceptance of the medical cause is reached by holding an inquest. This usually occurs within 60 days of the death. The inquest itself is a hearing frequently with testimony and presentation of facts surrounding a death to a coroner’s jury. These public hearings are usually held in the courthouse, and the family and other interested parties are  notified approximately one week in advance so they may attend if they wish.

A Coroner’s Inquest is neither a criminal or civil trial procedure. It is simply an inquiry into the manner and cause of an individual’s death.

The Death Certificate

Temporary death certificates are completed and filed with the Livingston County Clerk. They usually carry

Only the cause listed an Autopsy Pending, Investigation Pending or Inquest Pending. This certificate declares the death but does not carry the cause or manner of death.

The Permanent Certificate

Is issued after the inquest and lists the manner and cause. This certificate is the one necessary for legal business.

Death Certificates

May be ordered by the family through their funeral director or many be obtained directly from the Livingston County Clerk’s Office in the courthouse. There is a statutory charge for certified copies of he death certificate.

Transcripts.

Autopsy Reports, Toxicology Reports and other coroner’s reports are available with a written request to the coroner’s office and are issued only after receipt of a check or money order for the appropriate statutory fee.

Death Certificate Information

You will need when you talk to your funeral director.

1.)  Full name of the deceased

2.)  Date and place of birth

3.)  Usual legal residence city, county and state

4.)  Veteran status and discharge papers

5.)  Full names of parents of the deceased including mother’s maiden name

6.)  Educational information—highest grade completed

7.)  Social Security Number

8.)  Type of employment and type of employer (Example: Farmer/Agriculture,    Nurse/Hospital)

9.)  Race (i.e. white, black, American Indian etc.) Whether or not of Hispanic Origin and  if so, specify Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican etc.

10.)      Marital status: married, never married, widowed or divorced. If married, full name of surviving spouse, if wife include her maiden name

11.)      Disposition: burial, cremation etc.

12.)      Name and location of cemetery

"...serving the people of Livingston County"