How to Find a Cause of Death in Alaska (2026)

Alaska records a cause of death on the medical certification of the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, in the State Medical Examiner's investigative report. The death certificate is not public until 50 years after the death, and during that window only eligible family members and legal representatives can obtain it. The medical examiner's report is confidential permanently.

How Do You Find Someone's Cause of Death in Alaska?

You find a cause of death in Alaska from the death certificate or the State Medical Examiner's autopsy report, both of which are restricted records. The cause of death is written in the medical certification portion of the death certificate by the certifying physician or medical examiner.

If you are an eligible requester, order a certified death certificate from Health Analytics and Vital Records, part of the Alaska Department of Health. The certificate states the cause of death.

When a death was investigated, the next of kin can also request the autopsy report directly from the State Medical Examiner. That report explains the cause and manner of death in more detail than the certificate.

If you are not eligible to obtain these records, the most common public sources are an obituary, a newspaper account, or, for the fact of death only, the Social Security Death Index.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Alaska?

No. The cause of death is not public in Alaska during the confidential period. Alaska is a closed-record state, and the death certificate that carries the cause of death stays confidential for 50 years after the date of death.

Access is governed by the Alaska Vital Statistics Act (AS 18.50). AS 18.50.310(a) makes it unlawful to disclose or copy a vital record except as that section allows or as authorized by regulations issued under the chapter, and AS 18.50.320 directs the bureau to issue certified copies in accordance with those regulations. The eligible-requester list therefore comes from the regulations adopted under AS 18.50.310, not from the statute's own text. Under AS 18.50.310(f), the records of a death in the custody of the state registrar become public records 50 years after the date of death.

That 50-year clock covers only the records the state registrar holds, which is the death certificate. The State Medical Examiner's investigative report is governed by a separate statute, AS 12.65.020(b), which makes it a privileged and confidential document not subject to public disclosure and sets no expiration date. It never becomes public.

This matches the rule on the parent Alaska Death Records page: the certificate, including the cause of death, is restricted until the 50-year window closes. After that, the record becomes public and anyone may order it for research or genealogy.

Because access depends on each state's law, the answer varies nationally. See Are Cause of Death Records Public? for how Alaska compares with open-record states.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death lives in two official documents in Alaska: the death certificate and, for investigated deaths, the autopsy report.

On the Death Certificate

Every Alaska death certificate has a medical certification section. There, the certifying physician or the State Medical Examiner lists the immediate cause of death, the underlying conditions, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined).

This is the primary record most families use to learn how a relative died.

In the Autopsy Report

When the State Medical Examiner investigates a death, the office prepares a report of its findings and conclusions on the cause and manner of death. Alaska runs a centralized medical examiner system within the Department of Health rather than a county coroner model.

Under AS 12.65.020(b) that investigative report is a privileged and confidential document that is not subject to public disclosure, and the statute sets no time limit. The office may release it to public officers and employees for a public purpose, and to a person related to the deceased or with a financial or personal interest in the estate, but only when doing so will not interfere with an ongoing investigation or prosecution.

The State Medical Examiner investigates deaths that are sudden in apparent good health, unattended by a physician, suspicious, unusual, unexplained, or non-natural. The pathologist performs either a full autopsy, which removes internal organs, or an external examination to reach a determination.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To obtain the cause of death, request either the certified death certificate or the autopsy report through the correct office. Both routes require you to show eligibility and valid photo identification.

Order the Death Certificate

Order a certified copy from Health Analytics and Vital Records. Eligible requesters include the spouse, parents, children, and siblings of the decedent, plus legal representatives and authorized agencies. The first certified copy is $30 and each additional copy ordered at the same time is $25. Full steps are on the Alaska Death Records page.

Request the Autopsy Report

If the State Medical Examiner handled the death, the next of kin may request the autopsy report in writing once the case is closed. Submit the office's Document Request form with a photocopy of your identification. There is no charge to families for the autopsy or the report.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, the cause of death becomes easier to access once the 50-year confidential period has passed. At that point the Alaska death certificate is a public record, and anyone may order it from the state for genealogical or research purposes. The medical examiner's investigative report does not open on the same schedule. It stays confidential no matter how old the death is, so the certificate is the record that becomes available to researchers.

For the fact of death rather than the cause, the Social Security Death Index is a free starting point. It lists a name, date of birth, date of death, and Social Security number, but it does not include the cause of death.

If you cannot yet obtain the certificate, an obituary or contemporary newspaper article is often the only public description of how a person died during the confidential window.

Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Alaska records and is not legal advice. Access rules and fees can change, so confirm details with Health Analytics and Vital Records or the State Medical Examiner before you request a record.

Sources

This page draws on the Alaska Department of Health's Health Analytics and Vital Records, the Alaska State Medical Examiner, the Alaska Vital Statistics Act (AS 18.50), the medical death investigation statute (AS 12.65.020), and the U.S. Social Security Administration.

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