Coroner
Department Function
Duty to notify coroner’s office of inevitable deaths and stillbirths; inquiry; findings; notification of next-of-kin; consent for certain actions.
How We Serve
Death cases are referred to the Coroner’s Office for various reasons. The Coroner’s Office is notified in cases of deaths occurring outside of a hospital, if they die at a medical facility within 24 hours of admission or invasive surgery, child fatalities, and any death under abnormal or suspicious circumstances.
When the Coroner’s Office is notified of a death outside of a hospital, the Coroner calls to ask if a private physician will certify the death and interview the family member or caretaker to verify that no foul play exists. The Coroner or his Deputy Coroner(s) will obtain basic information for a burial removal transit permit (BRT), which is required by law 17-5-580.
Deaths that occur within 24 hours of admission to a medical facility or of an invasive medical procedure are reported to the Coroner as required by S. C. law 17-5-530. At that time, a basic inquiry is performed, and based on the information obtained, the inquiry may end or progress to a full case.
Cremation permits are issued upon the funeral director's request by the Coroner, as provided in statutes 32-8-325 and 32-8-340. There is a mandatory 24-hour waiting period from the time of death before a cremation may occur.
Coroners' cases or investigations may become very complex. When deemed appropriate, autopsies and toxicology tests are performed along with, other analysis that may require more time for a final and definitive answer for a family. Family members are welcome to call for status updates.
Death Certificates are forwarded to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. They are ordered and picked up by the legal next of kin at the funeral home chosen for the decedent’s final disposition.
Child Fatalities require a complete investigation per the requirements of S.C. 17-5-540 and 63-11-1940 unless thorough evidence is presented to validate the existence of a preexisting terminal condition.
Vulnerable Adult deaths require a complete investigation as a requirement of S.C. 17-5-555 and 43-35-10(11).
Links:
No. Coroners are law enforcement officers who conduct a concurrent investigation to determine the manner of death.
It takes about 6 to 8 weeks.
- Natural deaths at home with hospice
- Natural deaths with less than 24-hour admission into the hospital
- Any deaths believed to be of unnatural causes
- Homicide
- Suicide
- Accidental
- Undetermined
Call 9-1-1 and let the responding agency determine if a coroner is necessary.
- If the decedent is transported to the morgue by order of the Coroner’s Office, then any property on the decedent will be taken into possession by the Dillon County Coroner’s Office.
- The property can be released to the next of kin at the Coroner’s Office.
- State-issued identification is retained by the Coroner’s Office and will be kept as part of the case file.