Are Autopsy Reports Public in Wyoming? (2026 Guide)

Wyoming autopsy reports are not freely public records. The toxicology report, autopsy photographs and recordings are confidential, opening to next of kin, to a defined list of officials and professionals, or to anyone a court authorizes for good cause, while a limited "public information docket" is a public record that must state the cause and manner of death, including relevant toxicological factors. Wyoming uses an elected county coroner in each county rather than a state medical examiner.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in Wyoming?

No, a full Wyoming autopsy report is not an open public record. Wyoming Statutes section 7-4-105(b) makes the toxicology report and any photograph, video recording or audio recording from the death scene or the autopsy confidential. Access runs through three statutory routes: next of kin, a defined list of officials and professionals, and a court order for good cause.

Wyoming coroners do release a narrower document called a public information docket. Under Wyoming Statutes section 7-4-105(a), that docket is a public record and can be requested by anyone once the case investigation is finished.

The statute is specific about what that docket contains. Section 7-4-105(a) requires an accurate description of the deceased, the name if it can be determined, the cause and manner of death including relevant toxicological factors, the age of the decedent, the date and time of death, and a description of money and other property found with the body. The coroner's verdict is a public record too.

The docket is not the same as the full autopsy file. The underlying toxicology report, the autopsy and scene photographs, and any video or audio recording stay confidential under W.S. 7-4-105(b).

If you want to understand how this fits the broader national picture, see our overview of whether Are Autopsies Public Records?

Who Performs Autopsies in Wyoming?

Wyoming uses a county-based coroner system. There is no statewide medical examiner office. Instead, each of Wyoming's 23 counties has its own coroner, who is an elected official serving a four-year term under Wyoming Statutes section 7-4-101.

The coroner does not personally perform the autopsy. When a postmortem examination is needed, the coroner appoints a physician (typically a forensic pathologist) to conduct it under W.S. 7-4-201.

An autopsy is not ordered for every death. A coroner's case generally involves a sudden, violent, suspicious, accidental, or unexplained death, including suicides, overdoses, unattended deaths, deaths in custody, and unidentified bodies, as described in W.S. 7-4-104.

The coroner or the appointed physician decides whether an autopsy is necessary. A district attorney may also order an autopsy when a death appears to involve unlawful means, violence, or an unknown cause under W.S. 7-4-209.

Who Can Request a Wyoming Autopsy Report?

Next of kin come first. Wyoming Statutes section 7-4-105(c) lets a surviving spouse, a surviving parent, an adult child, a personal representative, a legal representative, or a legal guardian view and copy the toxicology report and any photograph or video recording, and listen to and copy any audio recording. County coroner offices generally ask for photo ID and proof of the relationship, and will deal with the requester's attorney.

Section 7-4-105(d) adds a second tier that does not depend on the family at all. Law enforcement agencies, district attorneys, the United States attorney for the district of Wyoming, county, state and federal public health agencies, health care licensing boards, the workers' compensation division, the state occupational epidemiologist, occupational health and safety officials, the office of the inspector of mines, insurance companies with a legitimate interest in the death, parties in civil litigation with a legitimate interest, and a treating physician may view and copy the same material. What the statute asks of them is a written request while acting in the performance of official duty. It does not ask them for written authorization from the family. Under 7-4-105(e), the identity of the deceased stays confidential in a record obtained this way unless disclosure is required in the performance of official duties.

Anyone outside those two tiers can still ask a court. Section 7-4-105(g) lets a court, on a showing of good cause, issue an order authorizing a person to view and copy the toxicology report, photographs and video recording and to listen to and copy audio recordings. Section 7-4-105(h) sets out what the court weighs: whether the disclosure is necessary for the public evaluation of governmental performance, the seriousness of the intrusion into the family's privacy, whether the disclosure is by the least intrusive means available, and the availability of similar information in other public records.

That petition is not filed quietly. Section 7-4-105(j) requires that the surviving spouse receive reasonable notice, a copy of the petition, and a reasonable opportunity to be present and be heard. If there is no surviving spouse, notice goes to the deceased's parents, and if no parent is living, to the adult children or their legal guardian or representative.

Without one of those routes, a member of the public is limited to the public information docket described above.

Misuse of restricted coroner information carries penalties under W.S. 7-4-105(m), including possible imprisonment up to six months and a fine up to $1,000.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in Wyoming

Send your request to the county coroner's office in the county where the death occurred, because there is no central state office. Wyoming's system is decentralized, so each county handles its own records.

Most coroner offices use a records request form. You typically submit it by email, fax, mail, or in person, along with a copy of a government-issued photo ID and proof of your relationship to the deceased.

Wyoming Statutes section 16-4-204(a) sets copy fees as a reasonable fee determined by the official custodian of the record, which for these files is the county coroner. Section 16-4-204(c) adds that any fee a custodian charges must first be authorized by a duly enacted or adopted statute, rule, resolution, ordinance, executive order or other like authority, so the exact charge varies by county. Contact the coroner's office directly for its current fee schedule and processing time.

If you request a report while the investigation is still open, the office will not release it immediately. Coroner offices document the request and hold it, then process it after the case is completed or adjudicated. Toxicology results in particular can take weeks or months to finalize.

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in Wyoming

An autopsy report and a death certificate are two different documents. The death certificate is the short legal record of the death and includes a cause-of-death line completed by the certifying coroner or physician.

The autopsy report is a detailed forensic and medical document. It describes the examination findings, internal observations, and toxicology testing that support the cause and manner of death.

In Wyoming, certified death certificates are issued by the Wyoming Department of Health Vital Statistics Services and are restricted to qualified applicants. The autopsy file is held by the county coroner, and its confidential parts open only through the routes in W.S. 7-4-105.

For death certificate eligibility, ordering steps, and fees, see our Wyoming Death Records guide, or browse the national Death Records by State hub.

Wyoming Autopsy Report Facts

Disclaimer: This page provides general information about Wyoming autopsy and coroner records and is not legal advice. Records procedures, fees, and access rules vary by county and can change. Always confirm requirements directly with the relevant county coroner's office before relying on this information.

Sources

This guide draws on Wyoming Statutes Title 7, Chapter 4 (including the full text of W.S. 7-4-105), Wyoming Statutes section 16-4-204 of the Public Records Act, the CDC coroner/medical examiner law profile for Wyoming, and Wyoming county coroner records-request guidance.