Suspicious death

Officialese

'In a criminal case, or other suspicious causes of death which may have medico-legal implications, no attempt will be made to interfere with the deceased person in any way.

The body must not be cleansed, and items of clothing must not be removed.

No identification will take place until the completion of the post mortem examination to preserve any evidence that may be relevant to the criminal investigation.

Any blood samples retrieved from the laboratory come under the jurisdiction of the coroner and must be handed to An Garda Schnauzer. An Garda Siochana will also accompany the body to Radiology in cases of suspicious death. It is at the discretion of An Garda Síochána whether they remain with the body or secure the body in the PM room under CCTV with restricted swipe access.'

State forensic PME (suspicious / unusual deaths)

When a sudden, unexplained, suspicious or criminal death occurs, the coroner will direct a state forensic PME under section 33 (2) Coroners Act 1962. In these cases, certain procedures need to be followed. This will aid any garda investigation and allow for the chain of evidence to be kept intact.

Immediately after death

Once death is pronounced, the deceased, all tissues from the deceased and all the property on the deceased come under the jurisdiction of the coroner
All lines, chest drains, medical airway tubes, bandages and electrodes need to be left in place
The deceased should not be cleaned or washed before the PME
The deceased should be placed into a body bag. If there is a concern about contamination from bodily fluids, it may be beneficial to use a second bag

Access to the deceased

It is recommended that nobody outside of the investigation or the team completing the PME will be allowed access to the deceased until after the PME
In order to preserve forensic evidence a member of An Garda Síochána will secure (stay with) the deceased until after the PME. In rare circumstances, a family may view the deceased under Garda supervision but will not be allowed to touch the deceased until after the PME
No mementos, hand prints or memory making should occur until after the PME
The garda will keep a record of anyone who is near or around the deceased

Property

Property left on the deceased should not be removed or disturbed by staff, as this will be done as part of the PME
Any items that were removed during medical intervention prior to death must be placed into an official forensic evidence bag and should be detailed on an itemised list
- The list must be documented in the presence of both a healthcare professional and a member of An Garda Síochána
- Both the healthcare professional and garda then co-sign the property list
- The original list should be kept with the patient's notes and a copy given to An Garda Síochána

Identification

On receipt of the deceased into the mortuary, an identification tag should only be placed on the outside of the body bag in order to preserve forensic evidence
In a State forensic case, it is recommended that family identification is carried out after the PME. After formal identification, identification tags should be applied to the ankle and wrist
A Garda Liaison will be assigned to the family to share information about these procedures with them

Investigations

Any blood samples taken immediately on admission and prior to any transfusions or any medications come under the jurisdiction of the coroner and the samples must be handed over to An Garda Síochána at the coroner's request
Radiology, for example a CT scan or x-rays, may be required in certain cases prior to the PME at the request of the pathologist and / or coroner. At all times during these investigations, the deceased should be accompanied by a member of An Garda Síochána

Documentation

The following documentation should be sent to the pathologist with the deceased:

A copy of their ED notes
The ambulance record sheet
Any healthcare professional records / notes including printouts of relevant electronic healthcare record notes
The results of any investigations performed

Please note that the above records should all be filed in the healthcare record. A Notification of Death form should be completed and forwarded to the Hospital Mortuary (as applicable to local service). The patient's chart may be formally requested by the Coroner's office.

Transport

Any transport of the deceased in state forensic cases should be arranged by the coroner and An Garda Síochána
In cases where the deceased needs to be transferred to another facility, to prevent contamination the remains should not be transferred to the local hospital mortuary but go directly to that facility

If the hospital has any queries in state forensic cases, the on call forensic pathologist should be contacted. Their contact details can be obtained from the investigating Gardaí or the coroner. The contact details for the Office of the State Pathologist may also be found on the website: https://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/office_of_the_state_pathologist.

Suspicious Death