Help Me Find Closure
January 21, 2010 3:55 PM Subscribe
Help me find out how my sister died.
My sister passed away in 1995 and it's always haunted me that I don't really know all the details (I was 16 at the time). She was 18 at the time and living with her boyfriend. She had been a high-functioning epileptic since the age of 9 (medication controlled). I'd seen her have many grand-mal seizures during childhood which she always woke up from/came back to normal. The story my family has always stuck to was that she had one final seizure that killed her. I've never known what they meant by that. Did she have a brain hemorage? Did she choke on something? Did she suffocate in her pillow (she died at night)?
The people she lived with were vile so the brief relationship I had with them ended the day my sister died. They're of no help.
She died in Oregon (Yamhill County). My mother tells me that she 'refused an autopsy'. I thought the autopsy decision was made by the medical examiner. One would think that an 18 year old sudden death would necessitate an autopsy. She was cremated immediately after her death.
I know her name, DOB, Social Security #.
My questions:
1) How can I get the death certificate?
2) How can I get the autopsy report (if there was one)?
3) How can I get the police report (her roommates called the police)?
4) Is there anything else that I can do to find out more information?
My sister passed away in 1995 and it's always haunted me that I don't really know all the details (I was 16 at the time). She was 18 at the time and living with her boyfriend. She had been a high-functioning epileptic since the age of 9 (medication controlled). I'd seen her have many grand-mal seizures during childhood which she always woke up from/came back to normal. The story my family has always stuck to was that she had one final seizure that killed her. I've never known what they meant by that. Did she have a brain hemorage? Did she choke on something? Did she suffocate in her pillow (she died at night)?
The people she lived with were vile so the brief relationship I had with them ended the day my sister died. They're of no help.
She died in Oregon (Yamhill County). My mother tells me that she 'refused an autopsy'. I thought the autopsy decision was made by the medical examiner. One would think that an 18 year old sudden death would necessitate an autopsy. She was cremated immediately after her death.
I know her name, DOB, Social Security #.
My questions:
1) How can I get the death certificate?
2) How can I get the autopsy report (if there was one)?
3) How can I get the police report (her roommates called the police)?
4) Is there anything else that I can do to find out more information?
Are you the executor/administrator of your sister's estate? Whoever he/she is would be the person to request the autopsy report, which is technically a medical record, I believe.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:06 PM on January 21, 2010
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 4:06 PM on January 21, 2010
Usually you can get a copy of the death certificate from the county health department. If an autopsy is not required by law (a warrant issued in a criminal case) then it must be authorized by a family member. FWIW, I've had two epileptic friends die during a grand mal seizure "in their sleep" - they somehow flipped over face down into the pillow during the night and suffocated.
posted by Oriole Adams at 4:08 PM on January 21, 2010
posted by Oriole Adams at 4:08 PM on January 21, 2010
Your best bet is to start calling around to the authorities in Yamhill County. Call the medical examiners office and local and county law enforcement. Tell them that you are looking for information regarding the death of a relative and that you aren't sure where to start. They've been through this before and should be able to point you in the right direction.
You might also try contacting the Yamhill County Genealogical Society for advice about how to get access to official records, and the local papers to see if they ran any stories.
posted by indyz at 4:13 PM on January 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
You might also try contacting the Yamhill County Genealogical Society for advice about how to get access to official records, and the local papers to see if they ran any stories.
posted by indyz at 4:13 PM on January 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
I can't help you with your search for the death certificate, but I assume in your research you would have encountered Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy?
posted by gaspode at 4:36 PM on January 21, 2010
posted by gaspode at 4:36 PM on January 21, 2010
Yamhill County Public Health
Forms to obtain death records more than 6 months after the death
It looks like as a family member, you would be eligible to order one.
posted by Lucinda at 4:50 PM on January 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Forms to obtain death records more than 6 months after the death
It looks like as a family member, you would be eligible to order one.
posted by Lucinda at 4:50 PM on January 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
A girl a year behind me in jr. high had epilepsy and drowned in the bathtub.
posted by brujita at 10:00 PM on January 21, 2010
posted by brujita at 10:00 PM on January 21, 2010
Status epilepticus could be seen as one final, fatal seizure, too.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:07 PM on January 21, 2010
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 11:07 PM on January 21, 2010
In Canada usually you can get a copy of the death certificate from the funeral home. But thats around the time they passed away. They give the executer of the will copies to use to carry out the any duties of the executor. If you go to the funeral home and ask them, they might give you an official copy or two. Not sure if they do this in the USA ( or the state your in) though. But it might be worth a try. Or try asking whoever took care of her estate. They might have an extra copy.
posted by Taurid at 11:17 PM on January 21, 2010
posted by Taurid at 11:17 PM on January 21, 2010
The people she lived with were vile so the brief relationship I had with them ended the day my sister died. They're of no help.
What does this mean? Have you asked for their help? 1995 is not very long ago really, and if she died in their presence...they would definitely be the people to get the information from. You should get the death certificate, but also consider talking to these "vile" people (?). No matter how "vile" they are they might understand a sister's longing to know the details of her sibling's demise. Appeal to their better nature..which they may indeed have.
posted by naplesyellow at 11:56 PM on January 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
What does this mean? Have you asked for their help? 1995 is not very long ago really, and if she died in their presence...they would definitely be the people to get the information from. You should get the death certificate, but also consider talking to these "vile" people (?). No matter how "vile" they are they might understand a sister's longing to know the details of her sibling's demise. Appeal to their better nature..which they may indeed have.
posted by naplesyellow at 11:56 PM on January 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Start by using the information available on the County's Public Health website to obtain her death certificate, which should have enough detailed information for you to base your further research. Specifically, a death certificate will list whether an autopsy was performed, and by whom, and if one wasn't, there will typically be a doctor who has to sign off on the certificate verifying the circumstances of death. The doctor listed may still be in practice, and while there are strict laws against patient information disclosures, because the person in question is deceased (and you have the death certificate and possible legal right as an immediate family member) you might be able to gain some information.
Also, having the death certificate in hand will give you an exact date of death, which you will need for all your other inquiries. The local police department may be able to provide you with a copy of a police report. Unless there was something very public about her death, searching old newspapers may not turn up anything at all.
Since fifteen years have passed, perhaps these "vile" people have had a chance to grow up, or have possibly changed, but I'm guessing your instinct is right that attempting to contact them may not be worth the trouble or effort.
posted by kuppajava at 11:14 AM on January 22, 2010
Also, having the death certificate in hand will give you an exact date of death, which you will need for all your other inquiries. The local police department may be able to provide you with a copy of a police report. Unless there was something very public about her death, searching old newspapers may not turn up anything at all.
Since fifteen years have passed, perhaps these "vile" people have had a chance to grow up, or have possibly changed, but I'm guessing your instinct is right that attempting to contact them may not be worth the trouble or effort.
posted by kuppajava at 11:14 AM on January 22, 2010
In that situation - perhaps the Medical Examiner can "overrule" family and still order an autopsy, but I'm not sure what Oregon law is on the issue. Unfortunately, I've seen that some Medical Examiners will go for almost any excuse to "not" to do an autopsy.....usually it's a legit reason like the hospital course revealed what went wrong....Can you get the hospital bloodwork or data if she was able to make it there? Perhaps the paramedics might have been able to get bloodwork that showed something was off. Sorry for the unknown, I can see how it makes a tough situation much worse.
posted by skepticallypleased at 1:02 PM on January 22, 2010
posted by skepticallypleased at 1:02 PM on January 22, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jabberjaw at 4:03 PM on January 21, 2010