Coroner

The Mission of the Franklin County Coroner's Office

The difficult and complicated work of death investigation is done with the intention of providing thoughtful and caring attention to the circumstances, time, and causes of death to those who die within the jurisdiction of the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

Representatives of the Coroner's Office offer compassionate support to individuals and family members at the scene and/or upon notification of a death, and provide complete and comprehensive investigative documentation to ascertain an accurate determination of cause and manner of death.

At all hours of the day or night, under rigorous weather conditions, and in the face of emotions, the Franklin County Coroner's Office brings empathy and understanding to the challenges.

Duties of the Coroner's Office

The Coroner's Office investigates suspicious, unnatural, violent, and sudden unexplained deaths within Franklin County. The Revised Code of Washington (RCW 68.50.010) provides the legislative foundation for the function of the Coroner. Duties include:

• Determine the cause of death - how, why, and by what means a person died in those cases within our jurisdiction
• Determine the manner of death - we must categorize each death in one of the following manners:
  • Natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined
• Identification of the decedent - through circumstantial and/or scientific means
• Determine the time of death
• Notification of next of kin
• Custody of evidence and property found with the body
• Follow reporting procedures to various agencies
• Caring for indigent remains
• Public awareness programs