Coroner

Mission Statement


The Chester County Coroner's Office is an independent agency serving the citizens and honoring the deceased of the county by investigating the facts and circumstances concerning jurisdictional deaths which have occurred within Chester County. We determine the cause and manner of death, the identity of the decedent, and provide notification to the legal next of kin, while exhibiting the highest degree of compassion, professionalism, and integrity.

History of the Coroner's Office by Christina VandePol, M.D.



Chester County Coroner Christina VandePol, M.D. recently wrote an article titled  "The Coroner's Office Then and Now - 334 Years of History" which was published in the Chester County Medical Society's magazine "Chester County Medicine".

OverdoseFreePA


The Chester County Coroner’s Office is participating in a partnership of Pennsylvania communities unified in the fight against the opioid overdose crisis. OverdoseFreePA provides resources, information and a thorough breakdown of overdose data from participating counties. View Overdose Deaths data for Chester County and Pennsylvania.

Forms

  • Coroner Report Request Form for Next of Kin
  • Cremation Request Form - NOTICE: Please use Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox to access this form.
  • Death Certificate - Copies are provided by the PA Department of Health, Vital Statistics
  • Reports for Attorney's and Insurance Companies - $500 for a copy of an autopsy report and $100 for a copy of a toxicology report, plus an administrative fee of $35. Copies of photographs are $25 each. Contact the Coroner's Office at 610-344-6165 to verify reports and/or photographs are available.

Survivor's Guide


Survivors Guide - provided by the Coroner's office to assist survivors with decision making and helpful solutions during their time of loss.
Survivors Guide in Spanish (Guia Para La Familia)

2019 Statistics

Manner of Death
Jan
Feb
 March April May June July Aug Sept
Total
Natural
63
74
81
 55 60 73 73 56 73
608
Accidental
13
23
19
 20 27 17 16 17 9
161
Homicide
0
0
0
 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
Suicide
7
3
6
 2 4 5 8 2 2
39
Pending
0
0
0
 0 0 0 0 1 11
12
Undetermined
1
0
1
 0 3 0 0 1 0
6
Non-human Remains
0
1
0
 3 0 1 0 1 0
6
Total Cases
84
101
107
 80 94 96 97 78 95
832

Case Type

Type of Case
Jan
Feb
 March April May June July Aug Sept
Total
Jurisdictional
44
53
62
 45 51 44 44 39 43
425
Non-Jurisdictional
40
48
45
 35 43 52 53 39 52
407
Totals
84
101
107
 80 94 96 97 78 95
832

Accidental Deaths

Type of Accident
Total*
Drug Overdose
81
Fall
51
Motor Vehicle Accident
23
Weather Related
1
Alcohol Poisoning
1
Poisoning
1
Blunt Trauma
1
Falling Object
1
Drowning
1
Total Cases
161

Suicides

Type of Suicide
Total*
Firearms
14
Hanging
13
Drug Overdose
4
Asphyxiation
3
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
2
Blunt Impact Injuries
2
Chemical Poisoning
1
Total Cases
39

Homicides

Type of Homicide
Total *
Firearms
0
Total Cases
0

Undetermined

Type
Total*
Undetermined
3
Overdose
2
Poisoning
1
Total
6
Other Statistics Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept
Total
Cremation Requests 236 222 230 241 225 194 229 198 193
1968
Autopsy Performed 23 30 34 28 30 27 24 17 20
230
Toxicology Draws Only 0 2 4 2 3 2 5 2 1
   21
Organ Donors 4 6 2 2 4 4 2 3
29
24
* Statistics as of September 30 2019

Links