Practical Information The Gardai In any event involving an unexpected death, including a suicide, the gardai are notified. The gardai will arrange a formal identification of the body by a member of the family or a relative of the deceased. Members of the gardai in most cases will be acting as ‘coroner’s officers’. They will ascertain the facts surrounding the death for the information of the Coroner. An inquest can take place six weeks to twelve months following the death. (See Inquest Process). Information collected by the gardai/coroner’s officers at the time of death will be sent to the coroner as this is an essential part of the inquest process. The Coroner The coroner is an independent official with responsibility under law for the medical and legal investigations of deaths. He/she is legally obliged to inquire into the circumstances of sudden, unexplained, violent or unnatural deaths. This may require a post-mortem examination, followed by an inquest. The Post-Mortem A post-mortem (autopsy) is an examination of the person who has died, which is carried out by a specially trained doctor (a pathologist) and is performed to ascertain the cause of death. It is usually carried out within twenty-four hours of the arrival of the body to the hospital. It is performed in a professional and sensitive manner. There is no visual disfigurement of the body. It may be several weeks before the post-mortem report is received by the coroner from the pathologist. If a toxicology (drug) screen is required it may be several months before the post-mortem report is completed. A death cannot be registered until the post-mortem report is received at the coroner’s office. Organ Retention Occasionally it is necessary to retain an organ (or organs) of the deceased during the post-mortem for detailed examination. Relatives will be notified when an organ is retained for the purpose of establishing or clarifying the cause of death. The relatives will be followed up by the post-mortem coordinator and given choices as to their preferred method of disposal of the organ. In most cases this will take place three to six months later. Death Certificate The death cannot be registered until the post-mortem report is received, which may take six weeks or longer. Prior to the inquest being held, the Coroner’s office will provide (on request) an Interim Certificate of the fact of death, which may be acceptable to banks, insurance companies and other institutions. A death notice from a newspaper is adequate for most social welfare payments. Inquest Process: An inquest is an inquiry in public by a coroner, sitting with or without a jury, into the circumstances surrounding a death. An inquest must be held by law when a death is due to unnatural causes. The inquest will establish the identity of the deceased, when, where and how the death occurred. The inquest can take place six weeks to twelve months after the death. A verdict will be returned in relation to the means by which the death occurred. The range of verdicts open to the coroner or jury includes Accidental death Misadventure Suicide Open verdict Natural causes An inquest will not tell you why a person died by suicide. The coroner will decide on the witnesses to attend and in what order they will give evidence, however if family members have information which may be helpful at inquest they should communicate this to the coroner or gardai as soon as possible. Any person who has proper interest in the inquest such as family, next-of-kin or representatives of insurance companies may ask questions or be legally represented by a solicitor or barrister at the inquest. The pathologist and gardai always give evidence at an inquest into a death by suicide. All inquests are held in public and reporters may be present. In practice, a minority of inquests are reported. The coroner is aware of the tragic circumstances and will endeavour to treat each one sympathetically. The existence of suicide notes will be acknowledged but the contents will not be read out, except at the specific request of the next-of-kin and then only at the discretion of the coroner. Every attempt is made to ensure that the inquest proceedings are not unduly intrusive to the families concerned. It is possible to obtain a copy of the post–mortem report and depositions taken at inquest. These official reports are only available on request after the inquest has concluded.