How do I Obtain an Autopsy Report in Carroll County, MD?

Autopsy reports in Maryland must be obtained through the chief medical examiner's office.

Maryland established the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in 1939. It was the first statewide medical examiner's office in the United States. Autopsy reports from every county in Maryland, including Carroll County, are filed and kept within the central records of this office. Copies of autopsy and toxicology reports are matters of public record once they are released by the physicians, absent a court order to the contrary. Residents of Carroll County seeking an autopsy report must submit a written request for the information to the main office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore.

Instructions

1. Send a written request for an autopsy or toxicology report to the Office of The Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. The written request must include the name of the decedent, your relationship the individual, the date of death, and an address where you would like the report to be sent. The mailing address for Maryland's Chief Medical Examiner Office is:

   Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

   Attention: Information Desk

   111 Penn Street

   Baltimore, MD 21201

2. Include the payment for the report in the form of a check or a money order with your written report request. The amount of the fee varies depending on your degree of familial relationship with the deceased, if any. As of August 2010, if you are a first-degree relative of the decedent, the processing fee is $30. However, if you are a more distant relative or non-relative, the fee is $120. In Maryland, first-degree relatives are defined as parents, siblings, spouses and children.

3. Get a court order or subpoena if you desire other information regarding the investigation of a death or other contents of the medical examiner's file. All other information in the medical examiner's file is privileged.

References

• Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland FAQs: How to obtain a copy of an autopsy report