Mission Statement:

It is the mission of the Hancock County Coroner's Office to:

Accurately determine the cause and manner of death of individuals that die within the statutory jurisdiction of Hancock County; through a fair, ethical, and competent investigation of death; performed by qualified and trained medico-legal death investigators.

To compassionately and professionally assist the bereaved family in the loss of their loved one.

To establish and maintain cooperative, professional partnerships with law enforcement agencies, fire departments, medical facilities, funeral home establishments, and other community entities.

Responsibilities:

The responsibility of the County Coroner is to determine the Cause, Manner, and Time of death in cases, and to properly identify the deceased person(s)

Coroners Investigate:

• Natural Deaths.
• Suicides.
• Homicides.
• Accidental Deaths (i.e. Motor Vehicle Fatalities or Injury Related Deaths)
• Unattended or Found Deaths.
• Deaths of Individuals who die within 24 hours of Admittance to a Hospital.  
• Inmate Deaths or cases in which the cause of death originated while the deceased was incarcerated.
• Deaths caused by diseases that may be public health threats.

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.

The County Coroner must additionally file with the County Health Department a Death Certificate on the deaths they investigated within the County.