The Autopsy Report

An autopsy report contains information regarding the external and (usually) internal examination as well as the cause and manner of death for a decedent. Autopsy comes from the Greek word autopsia, meaning to see for oneself.

An external examination documents common characteristics of a person, such as eye color, hair color, facial hair, tattoos, documentation of medical intervention, and the description of injuries. In some circles, an autopsy may just consist of an external examination, particularly if there are significant external injuries that would cause death, such as an open skull fracture, or if there is radiological imaging or premortem documentation (such as hospital records) that documents significant injuries that would cause death, such as traumatic intracranial hemorrhage or collections of blood and air in the body cavities. Generally, this can be performed where the manner of death is accident but not where the manner of death is homicide.

An internal examination examines the internal organs, soft tissues, brain, and other anatomic structures, documenting any pathology, injuries, infections, or other abnormalities.

Of note, an autopsy report may include words such as “unremarkable” or “normal” to described findings. This typically means that the examined tissue did not have any significant pathological findings (no infection, tumor, etc.) that would have contributed to death or potentially affected the decedent.

If you obtained and are reading the autopsy report of someone, any questions are best answered by the author of the report.