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At-home deaths
(Apparent natural causes)

In the past, law enforcement officers were requested to personally call in to report at-home, apparent natural deaths in which the attending physician would sign the death certificate. Because the Medical Examiner Act, Chapter 406, Florida Statutes, clearly lists the 12 types of death for which jurisdiction must be accepted, and because natural deaths lie outside those listed, the statute does not require that such deaths be reported prior to release to a funeral home.

A. In the event of an apparent natural death at home when: 

1. the patient has been under the care of a physician licensed in the State of Florida to practice medicine, and 
2. a law enforcement officer or licensed funeral director at the home has spoken to the physician, and 
3. the physician states that he/she will sign the death certificate, and 
4. the law enforcement officer or licensed funeral director states that no foul play is suspected, then, 

B. In the event of a death at home in which there is a physician to sign the death certificate but no funeral home has been selected (i.e. a person living alone or without family), a rotation funeral home will be used. 
C. A death at home when no physician has been in attendance, or when the treating physician is not licensed in Florida, falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner. A law enforcement officer should respond to the scene and contact this office with the basic facts and circumstances surrounding the death prior to removal of the body. Reporting at-home, unattended, apparent natural death information can be a quick process if the following information is obtained prior to calling this office: 

• complete name of deceased; 
• date of birth;
• race and sex; 
• home address of deceased; 
• Social Security number; 
• next of kin name and phone number; 
• funeral home handling the body; 
• pronouncement of death time and name of person pronouncing; 
• date and time last known to be alive; 
• circumstances or activities prior to death; 
• circumstances surrounding the death and the finding of the deceased as to persons, times, locations, what actions the deceased was performing at the time, etc.; 
• past medical history; and 
• medications (by name and date prescribed) found at the residence of the deceased, (collect and send these medications with the body only when requested!). 

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Volusia County, Florida.