Requests for Records

Home Government Elected officials Coroner Requests for Records

Procedures and requirements for accessing coroner records are governed by Wyoming Statute 7-4-105 and other laws.  The specific statutes are available available by opening  WYStatutes2017

Records Requests: Public Dockets; Family Requests; Agencies, Legal, and Law Enforcement Requests; General Data or Summary Reports; Ancestral, Genealogy, Research and Information. Legal Notice:

WS 16-4-202(a) All public records shall be open for inspection by any person at reasonable times, except as provided in this act or as otherwise provided by law, but the official custodian of any public records may make rules and regulations with reference to the inspection of the records as is reasonably necessary for the protection of the records and the prevention of unnecessary interference with the regular discharge of the duties of the custodian or his office.

WS 16-4-204(c)  After July 1, 2003, any fees or charges assessed by a custodian of a public record shall first be authorized by duly enacted or adopted statute, rule, resolution, ordinance, executive order or other like authority. [Fees for copies are as established by the Fremont County Commission on 02/02/2010 per Resolution 2010-06. This fee schedule is available on request.]

Note: Public Information Dockets are prepared with the information as specified in W.S. 7-4-105 (a), and are produced for release after case investigation and/or adjudication is completed. Case completion is subject to the policies, procedures, rules, and regulations as established by the Fremont County Coroner’s Office, Wyoming Board of Coroner Standards, and additional applicable Wyoming State Statutes.

Secondary release of Medical Records obtained by the coroner’s office is prohibited by Federal Law. Also, per W.S. 7-4-105 (m) “A person who knowingly or purposely uses the information in a manner other than the specified purpose for which it was released or violates a court order issued under subsection (g) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), or both.”

All requests for information, dockets, or case files submitted prior to completion of the case will be documented as to the date received, and will be held and processed after that completion. Completion time frames are variable depending on the nature of the case.

PDF Forms are available to be printed through the links below –

Dockets:

W.S. 7-4-105(a) After viewing the body and completing his investigation, the coroner shall draw up and sign his verdict on the death under consideration. The coroner shall also make a written docket giving an accurate description of the deceased person, his name if it can be determined, cause and manner of death, including relevant toxicological factors, age of decedent, date and time of death and the description of money and other property found with the body. The verdict and written docket are public records and may be viewed or obtained by request to the coroner, pursuant to W.S. 16-4-202.

Form for Docket copy request: Records Request 2015 – Docket   

Rules for a Docket Request:

1. A separate request must be submitted for each individual case docket.
2. Request is by completion and submission of the appropriate signed form, with a photocopy of the requesting party’s identification, unless the ID is verified in person by coroner staff.
3. The docket copies provided will be certified as a ‘true copy’ by the coroner’s office.
4. There is no fee for an individual docket copy. Multiple docket requests may incur a copy fee and postage charges as allowed by statute and set per resolution by the Fremont County Commission.
5. All individuals, organizations, groups, or companies not otherwise permitted by statute to confidential information, are restricted to the public information of a docket, or to general death summary information as specified below.

Files or Specific Case Information other than Dockets:

Access to confidential case information in the file, other than the official docket, is limited to:

W.S. 7-4-105(c) A surviving spouse, surviving parent, an adult child, personal representative, legal representative, or a legal guardian
Form for family records requests:  

Rules for family requests: Records Request 2015 – Family 

• Relatives of the deceased not specifically listed in Wyoming statute can only receive a copy of the docket, and must submit the form noted above.
• Request is by completion and submission of the appropriate signed form, with a photocopy of the requesting party’s identification, unless the ID is verified in person by coroner staff. Representatives or guardians must provide copies of legal paperwork establishing the relationship.
• There are no fees to the family members listed for copies of the records.

W.S. 7-4-105(d) Upon making a written request, a law enforcement entity of the state of Wyoming or United States government, a district attorney, the United States attorney for the district of Wyoming, a county, state or federal public health agency, a board licensing health care professionals under title 33 of the Wyoming statutes, the division responsible for administering the Wyoming Workers’ Compensation Act, the state occupational epidemiologist, the department and the division responsible for administering the Wyoming Occupational Health and Safety Act, the office of the inspector of mines, insurance companies with legitimate interest in the death, all parties in civil litigation proceedings with legitimate interest in the death or a treating physician, while in performance of his official duty
Form for agency, legal, or medical requests:  

Rules for agency, legal, or medical requests: Records Request 2015 – Agency

• All requests for a particular case must be in writing, as specified by statute.
• Request is by completion and submission of the appropriate signed form.
• Any non-governmental requests must also include a signed request on company stationery as documentation of identification and contact information; and parties may be charged copy fees as allowed by statute and set per resolution by the Fremont County Commission.
• Parties in civil litigation must also provide the case identification or court docket number.

Note: Other circumstances as referenced in WS 7-4-105 or other laws may allow release of records in specific instances, such as by court order, or due to public health concerns. Please contact the coroner’s office if you have questions.

General Data, Summaries, or Analysis:

The coroner’s office as part of its public service provides summaries and data on deaths in general to all organizations, agencies and individuals that request it. There is usually no charge for these summary reports unless they involve a large volume of paper or time in compilation.

It is recommended that such requests be in writing on the form: Records Request 2015 – Other 

This will enable better tracking and completion of requests. General information released will conform to public information as available on the official docket, or as specified in WS 7-4-105, and will usually have specific identifiers of individuals redacted.

Ancestral, Genealogy, Research and Information:

The Coroner’s Office has records on cases going back to 1885, and historic files are available to those wishing information for family or independent research.

Requests of this type should be submitted on the form: Records Request 2015 – Ancestral Death 

Historical records are sometimes available in their entirety, however, certain restrictions under the law may apply. Fees may be applicable depending on the volume of records in the file. A search of the database for a particular name can be done easily, so it may be beneficial to call the office first. Not all Fremont County deaths were coroner cases, and not all records have survived the passing of time.

Note: Files prior to July 1^st 2011 and more contemporary in nature may not be available or only partially available, and subject to limitations as established by law, policy, and other considerations.