ABSTRACT
Death investigation systems commonly involve a combination of medical, legal, and administrative structures. A coroner's jurisdiction in respect to death investigation starts with the report of a death. The legal requirements regarding deaths that must be reported to a coroner differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, police officers seconded from other duties may perform some of the court clerical duties. This chapter focuses on the role of the coroner in preventing injury and death has become a prominent characteristic in the evolution of coronial law in Australia and Canada, particularly since the mid-1980s. If the coroner concludes that an autopsy may provide useful information, he or she will inform the cemetery authorities that an exhumation is to be performed. There are several identification methods available to investigate human remains: visual identification, fingerprint identification, serological identification, molecular biology, dental identification, craniofacial reconstruction, medical and anthropological identification and radiological identification.
