Question: Are there people who don’t let you examine the body?

Prof. W Meier-Augenstein answered on 20 Jan 2023:

I cannot answer your question from personal experience because my work starts after an autopsy (post mortem) has been ordered. However, I can tell you when/why the examination of a body is being ordered.

A post-mortem examination has to be carried out if it’s been requested by a coroner because the cause of death is unknown, or following a sudden, violent or unexpected death.

A death may be referred by the police or a doctor to the coroner if:

it’s unexpected;
it’s violent, unnatural or suspicious, such as a suicide or drug overdose;
it’s the result of an accident or injury;
it might have been caused by substances the person was exposed to at work (an industrial disease);
it occurred during or soon after a hospital procedure, such as surgery;
the person was not seen during the last 28 days before they died or any time after they died by a doctor who can issue a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD), which is a document that allows the death to be registered;
the cause of death is unknown.

The main aim of a post-mortem requested by a coroner is to find out how someone died and decide whether an inquest is needed. An inquest is a legal investigation into the circumstances surrounding a person’s death.

If someone’s death has been referred to a coroner, the person’s next of kin will not be asked to give consent (permission) for a post-mortem to take place which means they cannot object to the examination of the body. This is because the coroner is required by law to carry out a post-mortem when a death is suspicious, sudden or unnatural.