Information on bodies that are considered unclaimed, the role of the coroner and situations where the coroner must intervene, such as those where the identity of the deceased cannot be established.
Deaths that meet one of the following criteria must be reported to the coroner:
The person died under violent or obscure circumstances (accident, suicide, homicide) or because of negligence.
The identity of the deceased cannot be established.
The cause of death is unknown.
Upon entry into Québec of the body of a person who died outside Québec, if the death occurred under violent or obscure circumstances or because of negligence, if the person's identity is unknown or if the probable causes of death have not been established.
When the body of a person who died in Québec must be transported outside Québec.
The death occurred in a specific institution, such as a rehabilitation center, penitentiary or health care facility.
When a child dies while in the care of a daycare provider (childcare centre, daycare centre, family daycare provider).
When a woman dies while pregnant or within 42 days of giving birth.
Call for intervention and procedure
Generally, the coroner is called by a physician or a peace officer.
If you have reason to believe that a violent, obscure or negligent death has escaped the attention of the coroner or police, you can report it.
When the coroner is notified of such a death, an investigation is undertaken.
During this process, the identity of the deceased is sought as well as
the date
the place
the causes
the circumstances of the death
The coroner becomes temporarily responsible for the body of the deceased and, if necessary, requests scientific expertise (autopsy, toxicological analysis, etc.).
In certain situations, the Chief Coroner may order a public inquest. The coroner then gathers evidence at public hearings. After the inquest, the coroner files a report outlining the findings.
If deemed appropriate, the coroner can make recommendations to avoid similar deaths. The coroner's report is public and available to anyone who requests it.
Documents enabling you to exercise your rights
Coroners' investigation reports are public documents, accessible to anyone who requests them. There is, however, a special access regime applicable to certain confidential documents.
To find out about your rights or to have them recognized, for example when complex legal questions arise, you can obtain the documents gathered by the coroner by contacting the Bureau du coroner. Exceptionally, an event report or police investigation report may be accessible by authorization of the Minister of Public Security.
Unclaimed bodies
When the death has been reported to a coroner and the body of the deceased has not been claimed, it remains under the responsibility of the coroner until it is released to the family.
If no one comes forward, a family search is carried out with the help of the police. If the next of kin cannot be located, the body is considered unclaimed. The body is then buried in a place that the Bureau du coroner keeps a record of in case the body is ever claimed.
A list of deceased persons whose bodies have not been claimed is available on the Bureau du coroner website, in the section Corps non réclamés.