Are Autopsy Reports Public in Wisconsin? (2026)

Wisconsin has no statute that makes an autopsy report confidential. A request for one falls under the Wisconsin Public Records Law, which presumes complete public access and makes the custodian justify any withholding. In practice, county medical examiner and coroner offices release basic demographic facts and the manner of death to anyone, restrict the full autopsy and toxicology report to legal next of kin and people with a direct and tangible interest, and commonly hold reports during open homicide investigations.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin autopsy reports are only partly public in practice, but not because a statute says so. No provision of Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 979 addresses confidentiality or disclosure of a completed autopsy report, so a request is decided under the general Public Records Law.

Under guidance from county medical examiner offices, the public can usually learn who died and how the death is classified, such as accident, suicide, homicide, natural, or undetermined. The detailed narrative findings, injury descriptions, and toxicology results are restricted as a matter of office practice.

In that practice, access turns on who you are: the complete report goes to legal next of kin and to people with a direct and tangible interest in the case rather than to anyone who asks. That phrase is the standard Wisconsin sets for vital records in Wis. Stat. 69.20(1), and county offices apply it to autopsy reports administratively. No statute extends it to them.

Records held by county coroner and medical examiner offices are subject to the Wisconsin Public Records Law. Wis. Stat. 19.31 directs that the law be read with a presumption of complete public access, and Wis. Stat. 19.35(1)(a) gives any requester a right to inspect any record except as otherwise provided by law. A custodian who withholds must justify that decision record by record under the common law balancing test, not point to a categorical next-of-kin-only rule. The law also allows confidential health care information to be withheld or redacted before release. A journalist, researcher, or unrelated requester who is told the report is closed can still file a written request and require the office to state its reasons.

Who Performs Autopsies in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin uses a county-based death investigation system, and the office in charge depends on the county. Under Wis. Stat. 59.20(2)(b), no coroner may be elected in a county with a population of 750,000 or more, or in any county that has instituted a medical examiner system. Milwaukee County is the only county above that population threshold. Dane County uses a medical examiner because the county instituted an ME system, not because its population requires one. Any other county may keep an elected coroner or move to a medical examiner. There is no statewide medical examiner.

Not every death gets an autopsy. Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 979 directs that certain deaths be reported to the sheriff, police, coroner, or medical examiner, including all homicides, all suicides, all deaths from poisoning, all deaths following accidents, and all deaths with unexplained, unusual, or suspicious circumstances.

Deaths where no physician attended the person within 30 days, and deaths within 24 hours of hospital admission, are also reported so the office can decide whether to investigate.

Under Wis. Stat. 979.02, the coroner, medical examiner, or district attorney may order an autopsy when there is reason to believe a death may be a homicide, a suicide, or due to unexplained or suspicious circumstances. The autopsy must be performed by a licensed physician with specialized training in pathology.

Who Can Request a Wisconsin Autopsy Report?

County offices release the full Wisconsin autopsy report to legal next of kin and to people with a direct and tangible interest in the case. Other requesters are not barred by statute, but they should expect the office to weigh the request under the Public Records Law balancing test rather than hand over the complete report on demand.

Legal next of kin are typically the surviving spouse, then adult children, parents, or siblings, in the usual order of priority. People with a direct and tangible interest can include attorneys, insurers, and treating institutions acting with a signed authorization from next of kin.

There is an important exception. In homicide cases and other matters of a serious nature, information may be released only to law enforcement or the district attorney until the case has moved through the court system and there has been an adjudication.

If you are unsure whether you qualify, county offices generally ask that you call before submitting a request so staff can confirm your eligibility.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in Wisconsin

To get a Wisconsin autopsy or toxicology report, contact the medical examiner or coroner office in the county where the death was investigated, not the state vital records office. Each county sets its own form, fee, and processing details.

Except for immediate next of kin, a written open-records request is generally required. A per-copy fee is typically charged for each autopsy report, while immediate next of kin usually receive a single copy at no charge.

Expect a wait. Offices release the report only after the case has been completed, which often depends on final toxicology and any pending investigation. During an open homicide or serious case, the office may hold the full report from all requesters except law enforcement and the prosecutor.

Before the report is sent, the office may redact confidential health care information to comply with Wisconsin patient-records statutes. To start, identify the correct county office, confirm your eligibility, and submit the request in writing with the decedent name, date of death, and your relationship or interest.

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in Wisconsin

An autopsy report is not the same as a death certificate in Wisconsin. They come from different offices and contain different information.

The death certificate is a vital record issued through Wisconsin's state and local vital records system. It lists a single cause-of-death line and the manner of death, and access to a certified copy is limited under state rules.

The autopsy report is a detailed forensic document created by the county medical examiner or coroner. It describes examination findings, injuries, and toxicology in depth, and its release is governed by who you are and whether the case is closed.

For background on how autopsy access works generally across the country, see Are Autopsies Public Records?.

Wisconsin Autopsy Report Facts

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. County medical examiner and coroner procedures, fees, and eligibility rules change and differ by county. Always verify the current process with the specific county office that investigated the death.

Sources

This page draws on Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 979 (investigation of deaths), Wis. Stat. 59.20 (county coroner and medical examiner offices), the Wisconsin Public Records Law at Wis. Stat. 19.31 to 19.37, Wis. Stat. 69.20 (direct and tangible interest in a vital record), the CDC summary of Wisconsin coroner and medical examiner law, and Wisconsin county medical examiner guidance on autopsy report access.

Read more in the Wisconsin Death Records guide and the Death Records by State hub.