MRMEO routinely submits fingerprints to both criminal and civil databases for identification purposes. Other useful information includes identifying features such as tattoos, surgical scars, implanted medical devices or surgical hardware, or dental work. Our staff may ask for medical history, the name and contact information of any treating physician or dentist, or any recent hospitalizations to aid in identification.

Yes. MRMEO routinely works closely with organ procurement agencies to facilitate donations.

Completed postmortem reports may be obtained by email MERecords@co.middlesex.nj.us or via mail to 1490 Livingston Ave, North Brunswick, NJ 08902. Please include the following information in your request:

• Decedent’s name and date of death
• Your name
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• Your relationship to the decedent.

Please note, 90% of postmortem examination reports are completed within 60 days after the autopsy is performed, however certain cases may take longer depending on the circumstances and the need for specialized testing and/ or may not be immediately available due to an active investigation being conducted by Law Enforcement.

Death Certificates are issued by the local department of Vital Statistics where the individual died or by the State Department of Vital Statistics. The Medical Examiner is not able to provide the Death Certificates. 

No. Medical Examiner investigative reports are not exempt from release under ‘New Jersey’s Open Public Record ACT (OPRA)’. The only exceptions are photographs taken by the Medical Examiner’s Office during an investigation.

The date and time of death listed on the death certificate are the date and time that the death was pronounced in the hospital, or in the case of an unwitnessed death, when the individual was found. There is no autopsy finding or laboratory test that allows for a reliable determination of an exact time. The most accurate estimation of time of death is based on investigative findings.

No. Families pay nothing for any of the Medical Examiner services. The family only pays the funeral home the cost of its services, including transportation of the body from the Medical Examiner’s Office to the funeral home.

Please contact MRMEO for assistance, so we may discuss your unique situation. 

Once the MRMEO is aware of an infant death, New Jersey law dictates that the SIDS Center of NJ be notified of the death so that the center may provide bereavement services to the family. 

Call the local emergency number to request police and emergency personnel to respond. Police will report the death to a Medicolegal Death Investigator (MDI) from MRMEO who will gather basic information about the circumstances of death. The MDI works with police in analyzing the death scene and also obtains pertinent medical history by speaking with next-of-kin and treating physicians.

If there is a medical history of chronic disease and there is nothing to suggest any other cause of death, the doctor who was treating the deceased will be contacted. The treating doctor is obliged to issue an appropriate death certificate if they had seen the deceased within the last 12 months OR were re-filling prescription medications. This includes both primary care physicians and specialists treating the deceased for a potentially life-threatening condition. The family can have the body moved to the funeral home of their choice.

If the MDI determines that further investigation is warranted, the body will be transported to MRMEO’s facility for a postmortem examination.

Contact a local Funeral Home and notify them that the decedent was transported to MRMEO. Out-of-state Funeral Homes will generally coordinate with a New Jersey Licensed Funeral Home.

A forensic autopsy is an external and internal examination of a body that is performed by licensed physicians with additional training in forensic pathology in order to determine cause and manner of death. Specimens of body fluids and tissues are retained for diagnostic testing if indicated. None of these tests will prevent the body from being released to the family for funeral arrangements. 

No. However, in some circumstances, an autopsy is mandated by law. In other circumstances, the medical examiner may determine an autopsy is necessary to identify the cause and manner of death. The law requires an autopsy in suspected homicides, deaths occurring under unusual circumstances, posing a threat to public health, involving inmates in prison (unless hospitalized for known natural disease), as well as for unexpected deaths of children.

A forensic autopsy, unlike a hospital autopsy, does not require permission from the next of kin since it is done under statutory authority. If the family has a religious or personal objection to the autopsy, please contact MRMEO to discuss the next steps.

The decision to perform an autopsy is at the sole discretion of the Medical Examiner handling the case. If an ME decides an autopsy is not warranted in a particular case, a family may contact a private pathologist to conduct an autopsy (at their expense.) MRMEO cannot recommend private pathologists.

No. Performing an autopsy does not prevent the family from having a viewing. There may be other circumstances depending on the condition of the remains before the autopsy was performed which may preclude the funeral home from offering a viewing. A funeral professional will be able to address any concerns the family may have.

A standard forensic autopsy should not delay usual funeral arrangements since the autopsy is generally completed within 24-48 hours after death. Please note, any delay of intake of the body into the Medical Examiner Office (in the case of organ and/or tissue donation) may delay the postmortem examination and subsequent release to a Funeral Home.

Absent a legal document designating a person(s) to make decisions after their death, the legal next-of-kin is defined by law as having the “Right to Control” the decedent’s funeral and is based upon a person’s relationship to the decedent prior to death as follows: Spouses/registered domestic partners, followed by adult children, the decedent’s parents, siblings, other family members, then friends/interested parties.

In most cases, any clothing and property that arrives at MRMEO generally accompanies the body to the Funeral Home. There may be an exception if clothing/property is collected by a Law Enforcement agency as part of an investigation. In these cases, that agency should be contacted for further information.

No. Most individuals are identified visually by family at the residence or at the hospital, or using government issued photo identification such as a driver’s license. MRMEO is not open to the public and as such does not have facilities for family members to view their loved one. A viewing can be arranged through your Funeral Home, if appropriate, given the nature of the case.