The coroner shall furnish a death certificate based on his examination, investigation, or autopsy, and he shall state as best he can the cause and manner of death.
Death certificates are generated by the funeral homes. The Coroner's Office is not the custodian of the death certificate. If the death is reported to the coroner and accepted, we will receive a death certificate from the funeral home. Once the certificate is received at this office, we will fill out all information that is required by the Coroner's Office (if possible), and then send it back to the funeral home as required by LA R.S. 33:1563.
In cases of autopsy, the death certificate is completed immediately after receiving the pathologist results and reports. Once this office has completed its portion of the death certificate, it is returned to the funeral home which has custody of the death certificate. Family members may contact the funeral home regarding their procedure once a death certificate has been returned to them from the coroner.
Certified copies of death certificates may be obtained from the funeral home once they have been signed by a physician or the coroner. After 30 days, the death certificate must be obtained from the Terrebonne Parish Clerk of Courts Office: Department of Birth, Death, Marriage, and Divorce.