Riverside County Sheriff / Coroner's Bureau 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 statistical information relating to all deaths occurring in the county, refer to statistics provided by the Riverside County Health Department.

Upon completion of many death investigations, the determination is made 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 are those in which the coroner signs the death certificate and the manner of death may be natural, accidental, homicide, suicide and undetermined.

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Medical Cases:	5243	5243	5814	6215	6392
Coroner Cases:	2516	2510	2708	2577	2675
Total Cases Reported:	7759	8062	8522	8792	9067

Coroner Case Breakdown by Manner of Death:	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Natural	1381	1336	1471	1212	1327
Traffic	333	349	354	378	342
Suicide	169	196	183	191	201
Homicide	114	109	131	142	126
Misc. Accident	471	470	521	575	617
Undetermined	48	50	48	51	57

 

Cause of death on Coroner cases is determined by Autopsy or Consultation. Consultations are done with either the decedent's attending physician or by a Forensic Pathologist utilizing medical records, if available, or external examination of the body.

	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Autopsy	1064	1092	1238	1433	1410
Consultation	795	781	730	791	898

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