When is a death required to be investigated?

A death is required to be investigated primarily when it is deemed unnatural or unexpected, and there is no attending physician willing to sign a death certificate. This guideline serves as a crucial standard in medicolegal death investigation because it aims to clarify circumstances surrounding a death that may involve legal or criminal implications. If a death appears to result from foul play, an accident, or other causes that deviate from the norm, a thorough investigation is essential to ascertain facts, establish cause, and rule out potential criminal activity.

In circumstances where a medical condition is known, the cause of death may often be deemed straightforward, thereby reducing the need for an investigation. Similarly, occurrences on holidays or family members' demands for autopsies do not inherently justify a mandatory investigation. It is the nature of the death itself—particularly its unexpectedness or the lack of medical oversight—that triggers the need for a thorough inquiry.