The Clark County Coroner, formally the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner, investigates deaths in Clark County, Nevada that involve criminal activity, violence, suicide, or that happen without a physician present.1Clark County, Nevada. Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner If your family member’s death falls into any of those categories, the office takes custody of the body, decides cause and manner of death, holds personal effects, and controls when remains are released. The sections below walk through what that means for you in practical terms.
When the Coroner Takes a Case
Nevada law requires the coroner to investigate when someone is killed, dies by suicide, or dies suddenly under circumstances suggesting unnatural causes.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 259 – Coroners Office policy extends that to any unattended death, regardless of apparent cause.1Clark County, Nevada. Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner Deaths in law enforcement custody, deaths in jails, and deaths where the cause isn’t immediately obvious also come under the office’s jurisdiction.
Deaths that may involve drugs or poisoning require a postmortem examination by a forensic pathologist, unless the person was hospitalized for at least 24 hours before dying.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 259 – Coroners
The coroner does not need family permission to take custody of a body or perform an autopsy when the case falls within the office’s authority. The office aims to complete 90 percent of its investigations within 90 days.3Clark County, Nevada. FAQs – Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner
Getting the Body Released to a Funeral Home
Once the examination is finished, the body goes to the funeral home you choose. You start by sending the coroner a release authorization with the decedent’s full legal name, date of birth, date of death, and the name and contact information of the funeral home. Fax and email submissions are accepted. The funeral home handles the physical pickup.
Who’s allowed to sign that authorization isn’t a matter of who shows up first. Nevada law sets a strict priority list for ordering burial, cremation, or any other disposition:4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 451.024 – Persons Authorized to Order Burial or Cremation
- A person the decedent designated in a written legal document or affidavit
- For active-duty military, a person named on the decedent’s DD Form 93
- Surviving spouse
- Adult child
- Either parent
- Adult sibling
- Grandparent
- Guardian of the decedent at the time of death
- Any other adult who knew the decedent, cannot locate anyone higher on the list, and signs an affidavit accepting legal and financial responsibility
You’ll need to prove both your identity and your relationship to the decedent before the office authorizes the transfer. When people at the same priority level disagree, say two adult children who want different things, the matter can end up in court. Gathering your documents before you call cuts out the most common delays.
Picking Up Personal Property
Jewelry, wallets, clothing, phones, and anything else recovered with the decedent stays at the coroner’s office until the legal next of kin or the estate’s executor collects it. You need to come in person with valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. Call 702-455-3210 first to ask about specific items or set up a visit.1Clark County, Nevada. Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner
If you live out of state, call about mailing options rather than assuming they exist for every item. Don’t leave property indefinitely either. Nevada doesn’t set a single statewide deadline for coroners to dispose of unclaimed property, but items left long enough are eventually turned over to county authorities.
Autopsy Reports and Toxicology Timing
A straightforward autopsy report can be ready within weeks. Toxicology is slower. Screens for drugs, alcohol, and poisons typically take four to six weeks when nothing is detected, and six to eight weeks or more when drugs are found and need quantitative confirmation. Decomposition, unusual substances, or multiple drugs stretch the timeline further. Across all case types, the office targets closing 90 percent of investigations within 90 days.3Clark County, Nevada. FAQs – Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner
After the case closes, you can request copies of the autopsy and toxicology reports by calling or emailing the office. Clark County charges $30 per autopsy report, with additional fees for investigative reports.5Municode. Clark County Code of Ordinances Chapter 2.12 – Coroner
Where to Get the Death Certificate
The coroner determines cause and manner of death but does not issue death certificates. After the investigation closes, the office files the medical certification with the local registrar.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 440 – Vital Statistics In Clark County, that’s the Southern Nevada Health District, which holds all birth and death records for the county.7Southern Nevada Health District. Vital Records
Certified copies cost $38 for the first and $25 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. The first-copy fee includes a $13 state registration charge that can be waived on future orders if you show it was already paid.7Southern Nevada Health District. Vital Records Personal checks aren’t accepted. Bring a debit card, Visa or MasterCard, money order, cashier’s check, or business check. You’ll need multiple certified copies to settle an estate, file life insurance claims, close bank accounts, and transfer vehicle titles. Ordering several at once saves time and money.
Authorizing Cremation
Cremation in Nevada requires a signed death certificate on file plus written authorization from the person with legal authority over the remains. That authorization has to identify the decedent, state whether the death involved a communicable disease, and confirm the authorizing person doesn’t know of any objection from others who hold disposition rights.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 451 – Dead Bodies In a coroner case, cremation can’t move forward until the office has finished its investigation, signed the death certificate, and released the body.
If family members disagree about cremation, or if no one with priority authority can be found, a court petition may be the only way through. The Nevada Self-Help Center publishes fillable forms for an Ex Parte Petition for Order of Cremation, which requires attaching a copy of the death certificate and the will if one exists.9State of Nevada Self-Help Center. Cremation Court processing adds time on top of the coroner’s own timeline.
Getting a Private Second-Opinion Autopsy
If you disagree with the coroner’s findings or want independent documentation for a civil case, you can hire a private forensic pathologist. You cannot do this while the coroner still has the body. The state’s examination comes first. Once the body is released to the next of kin, you can retain any qualified pathologist for a second examination.
Private autopsy results belong to you and don’t automatically go to hospitals, insurers, or the coroner’s office. You decide whether to share them. Costs depend on complexity, whether toxicology is included, and the provider. Call a private pathologist early, because tissue preservation gets harder the longer the body has been embalmed or stored.
Organ Donation
When a potential donor dies in a coroner case, the office must cooperate with procurement organizations to allow donation when possible. If the coroner thinks recovery could interfere with determining cause or manner of death, the coroner first consults with the procurement organization’s designated physician or technician. The organization can request a second round of discussion if concerns remain before the coroner decides.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 451 – Dead Bodies When donation goes ahead, the postmortem is handled in a way that preserves the organs or tissues, and in some cases a representative of the coroner attends recovery to document forensic evidence.
Unclaimed, Indigent, and Unidentified Decedents
When no one claims the body or the decedent had no estate to pay for a funeral, the county takes on burial or cremation.4Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes 451.024 – Persons Authorized to Order Burial or Cremation If the coroner has reason to believe the decedent was a military veteran, the office must report the name to the Nevada Department of Veterans Services, which decides whether the person is eligible for interment at a national or state veterans’ cemetery.8Nevada Legislature. Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 451 – Dead Bodies
For unidentified remains, the office works with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), a federal database that compares unidentified decedent cases against missing person reports nationwide.10NamUs. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
Contact and Hours
The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner is at 500 South Grand Central Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89155. The general number for case questions, personal property, mortuary selection, and report requests is 702-455-3210.1Clark County, Nevada. Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner County offices run Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pacific, though department hours vary. Death investigation itself operates around the clock, so call even if you’re reaching out after hours.