Know More About Your Coroner
Indiana State Coroners Training Board page.
Purpose: The coroner "speaks for the dead." He or she is an independent investigative agent who has been given constitutional powers usually reserved for officers of the court. He or she can issue subpoenas for records or call witnesses. They can order autopsies to be done and toxicological examinations to be completed upon the body. Coroner's are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The coroner, who has the responsibility of making a positive identification of the deceased and certifying the cause and manner of death, conducts a parallel investigation to any law enforcement agency.