Copies of coroner dockets, reports, and files can be requested by filing the proper form to the office address as listed on the main coroner page, or as listed on the forms. The request must be in writing on the appropriate form and be completed in full according to the rules indicated for each type of request.

Reports are provided to family members at no cost. All other parties may be charged fees as approved by the Fremont County Commission to cover time and materials.

Public records and information are defined as of July 1st, 2011 by State statute. Cases that are under investigation, or in the process of adjudication, are not available as public information by Wyoming and Federal Statutes until those processes are complete. Medical records obtained by the coroner’s office are not subject to secondary release as restricted by Federal Law. Once a case has been closed and/or completed the judicial process, coroner dockets are public record by Wyoming Statute. See Statutes as referenced on the “Request for Records” page for details on what is or is not public record.

Families should request copies through the local funeral home/registrar that handles the remains. While the coroner provides information, and certifies the death, our office does not provide the certificates. In the case of past deaths, copies of death certificates should be requested from the Wyoming Department of Health, Vital Statistics.

The Coroner’s Office is required by State Law  (WS 7-4-104) to investigate all deaths that were not anticipated and may involve any of the following: Violent or criminal action; Apparent suicide; Accident; Apparent drug or chemical overdose or toxicity; Unattended death; Apparent child abuse; The deceased is in State custody in any manner; Cause is unknown; Public health hazard; Deceased is unidentified or unclaimed.  The Coroner’s Office has trained investigators who are responsible for determining the cause and manner of death, confirm identification of the deceased, and provide notification of next of kin.

While this office always tries to accommodate the wishes of a family, sometimes an autopsy is necessary to determine the cause and manner of death. In many cases an autopsy will resolve many of the questions a family has about the nature of the event or death. Autopsies are performed in about a third of the yearly number of cases, and are at the discretion of the Coroner.

While often a physical cause, such as a heart attack, will be immediately apparent on examination, in many cases final results must wait for lab examinations and testing results. The final written autopsy report is usually available in four to six weeks.

Any investigation costs, including autopsies, and other services such as transportation of the deceased, consultation on results or the investigation, are all provided by the Coroner’s Office at no cost to the involved families.  This is part of the public services provided by Fremont County Government.

Any property recovered and held by the coroner’s office can only be released to authorized next of kin, or their designee, by proper identification and signature. In specific instances, contact the office for assistance.

The Fremont County Coroner’s Office has files and records going back to 1885. Older cases will have varying degrees of information, and are only those where the death, or incident that caused the death, occurred in Fremont County.