Coroner's Statistics

The Coroner is responsible to investigate deaths in accordance with California Government Code section 27491. Not all deaths that occur in the county are reported to the Coroner. The following statistics relate only to deaths that are reported to the Coroner. For information relating to all deaths occurring in the county, refer to statistics provided by the Riverside County Health Department.

Breakdown by Case Type

• Medical Cases
  Many death investigations result in a determination that the decedent's attending physician will issue a cause of death and sign the death certificate. All of these deaths are due to natural causes and are referred to by the Coroner as "medical cases."
• Coroner Cases
  Coroner cases are those in which the coroner signs the death certificate and the manner of death may be natural, accidental, homicide, suicide and undetermined.

Breakdown by Manner of Death

Autopsy vs. External Examination

Cause of death on Coroner cases is determined by autopsy, external examination or consultation. Consultations are done with the decedent's attending physician. External examinations are conducted by a forensic pathologist and include a review of medical records, if available, and thorough external examination of the body.