Medical Examiner

Fulton county

Medical Examiner

Medical Examiner

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s (FCME) office strives to safeguard public well-being, public safety, and public health. The office is fully accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners.

The main purpose of the FCME is to determine the cause and manner of death and to clarify the circumstances surrounding death. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office performs autopsies and other postmortem examinations as an important part of the death investigation process.

The geographical coverage of the FCME is Fulton County, including all incorporated and unincorporated areas within it. If a death otherwise meets the legal criteria for investigation by a medical examiner, the FCME investigates deaths that result from incidents that occurred in Fulton County, or, if the place of the incident is unknown, deaths in which a dead body is found in Fulton County. 

Fax- 404-612-2463
Hours of operations: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Medical Examiner

Resources

Medical Examiner

Services

County Burials

County Burials

Whenever any person dies in Fulton County, and the decedent family and immediate relatives cannot afford to pay for burial services, the Fulton County through the Department of Family and Children Services will provide Indigent Burial.    

To apply for assistance, please contact:

DFCS Indigent Burial Coordinator – Ms. Susan Bailey
subailey@dhr.state.ga.us
404-699-4387 direct line
Southwest Service Center
515 Fairburn Road, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30331

Click here to learn more about indigent burial services in Fulton County. 

Death Certificate

Death Certificate

A certificate of death should be filed by the funeral director with the Vital Statistics Registrar of the Fulton County Health Department, as soon as possible after death. A certificate of death contains personal information about the deceased (name, age, marital status, parents and spouse's names, etc.), time, location, cause, and manner of death.

The Medical Examiner certifies all deaths over which we assume jurisdiction. Occasionally, completion of the death certificate by the Medical Examiner's Office will be delayed because of various circumstances surrounding the death. We are aware of the importance of the death certificate to families in bringing death-related issues to closure, and we make every effort to complete the death certificate in a timely manner.

430 Pryor Street SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
Phone: 404-613-4400
Fax: 404-612-2463
email: Email FCME

FCME Jurisdiction

FCME Jurisdiction

The geographical coverage of the FCME is Fulton County, including all incorporated and unincorporated areas within it. If a death otherwise meets the legal criteria for investigation by a medical examiner, the FCME investigates deaths that result from incidents which occurred in Fulton County, or, if the place of the incident is unknown, deaths in which a dead body is found in Fulton County. The 2015 population estimate of Fulton County is approximately 1 million people. Most of the City of Atlanta is inside of Fulton County.

Below are some basic statistics for the types of deaths investigated by the FCME since 1988. If you want more comprehensive information:

Phone: 404-613-4400
Fax: 404-612-2463
email: Email FCME

Year

Homicides

Suicides

Traffic Fatalities

Other Accidents

1988

243

76

147

182

1989

275

98

149

193

1990

252

85

130

159

1991

237

87

104

161

1992

219

105

109

156

1993

244

86

128

171

1994

233

86

151

170

1995

211

78

124

171

1996

235

99

139

190

1997

185

81

122

170

1998

188

73

157

222

1999

183

100

127

207

2000

172

76

143

192

2001

171

87

125

265

2002

203

83

125

221

2003

181

79

113

276

2004

159

90

137

240

2005

145

78

130

262

2006

149

77

132

245

2007

182

86

121

275

2008

156

84

119

255

2009

129

86

111

233

2010

146

101

80

266

2011

126

98

76

239

2012

135

102

89

234

2013

141

119

102

268

2014

154

106

101

332

2015

157

115

105

337

2016 193 120 137 378 
2017 134 127  119  318 
2018 157  132  132  356 

* Indicates on-site scene investigation

**Indicates cases in which body was examined by an investigator and/or medical examiner


Procedural Statistics

Year

Total Cases

Certified

Autopsies

External Exams***

Scenes*

Total Bodies
Examined**

1997

2109

1380

812

160

776

1180

1998

2234

1497

966

248

888

1424

1999

2199

1407

885

304

842

1357

2000

2098

1349

784

331

832

1331

2001

2014

1361

831

355

885

1406

2002

2063

1326

843

302

930

1322

2003

2298

1312

860

412

960

1554

2004

2254

1324

874

310

883

1312

2005

2171

1322

887

369

896

1427

2006

2212

1401

921

436

890

1495

2007

2238

1403

1002

365

921

1482

2008

2271

1386

940

303

894

1420

2009

2371

1418

893

456

856

1441

2010

2477

1416

910

367

848

1414

2011

2337

1299

868

338

780

1321

2012

2241

1315

830

391

825

1313

2013

2429

1454

952

442

1032

1511

2014

2594

1583

1027

525

1084

1635

2015

2546

1596

1056

483

995

1622

2016 2730 1693 1098 521  1113  1723 
2017  2524  1370  757  565  1149  1621 

* Indicates on-site scene investigation.

**Indicates cases in which body was examined by an investigator and/or medical examiner.

***Includes Views plus External Exams conducted by pathologists.

Medical Records

Medical Records

The medical records of the deceased are frequently an integral element in determining the cause and manner of death. In conjunction with the investigation of sudden, unexpected, or violent death, the Medical Examiner has the authority by statute to issue subpoenas for medical and dental records and other documents that are necessary for the full investigation of any case.

When needed, the medical examiner may require the personal appearance of the custodian of such records. In most cases, however, delivery of the requested records via mail, courier, or via one of our investigators is adequate,   and personal appearance of the custodian is not required.

430 Pryor Street SW

Atlanta, Georgia 30312
Phone: 404-613-4400
Fax: 404-612-2463
Email: 
Email FCME

Release of Information

Release of Information

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office is required by law to make available for public inspection all public records maintained by this office. Exempt from disclosure are all confidential records as exempted by the public disclosure act, preliminary records and notes of investigators and pathologists, records obtained from other sources, and information held on cases undergoing active criminal investigation.

The Medical Examiner does not have the authority or right to disclose any documents, including medical records, which have not originated from this office. These documents must be obtained from their original source. When disclosure of information could jeopardize an ongoing criminal investigation, the Medical Examiner, by order of a superior court, can seal the record and withhold the information from public disclosure.

430 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta, Georgia 30312

Phone: 404-613-4400
Fax: 404-612-2463
email: 
Email FCME

Request for Autopsy External Exam Report

Request for Autopsy/External exam Report

An autopsy may be performed to determine which disease or injury actually caused the death of the individual. The FCMEC office has posted the following forms below to help with requesting an autopsy and/or autopsy report. 

Death Investigations

Death Investigations

The Fulton County Medical Examiner has jurisdiction over certain deaths if the events leading to death occur in Fulton County, or, if the place of onset of the fatal event(s) is not known and the body is found in Fulton County.

Anyone who becomes aware that a person has died must report the death immediately to the Fulton County Medical Examiner. Failure to do so a misdemeanor. The investigation of death is a timely matter. Any delay in reporting can create increased investigative difficulties and hamper the investigation.

The criteria of reportable deaths are taken from the Georgia Death Investigation Act. Please call the Medical Examiner's Office if you are uncertain whether a case falls within our jurisdiction and whether or not you should report the death. Our phone number is (404) 613-4400.

FCME Annual Statistics Report

FCME Annual Statistical Reports

 

Direct questions to:

430 Pryor Street SW

Atlanta, Georgia 30312
Phone: 404-613-4400
Fax: 404-612-2463
email: 
Email FCME