An inquest is an investigation into the cause and circumstances of a death. Laws vary from state to state and the circumstances under which an inquest may be required are usually specified in a state’s statutes.

For example, if a person dies in a county with a medical examiner, the medical examiner (or authorized deputy) may be required to conduct an inquest under the these and other circumstances:

• when a person dies within 24 hours after being admitted to a hospital or institution, or dies in prison or jail;

• when a person is killed, or dies from an unnatural cause of death (unless executed by the state for a crime), or dies without one or more good witnesses;

• when the body or a body part of a person is found, and the cause or circumstances of death are unknown;

• when the circumstances of the death of any person lead to suspicion the person died by unlawful means;

• when any person commits suicide, or the circumstances of the person's death lead to suspicion the person committed suicide;

• when a person dies without having been attended by a duly licensed and practicing physician, and the local health officer or registrar required to report the cause of death does not know the cause of death;

• when the person is a child and the death is required to be reported by law; and

• when a person dies who has been attended immediately preceding death by a duly licensed and practicing physician or physicians, and such physician or physicians are not certain as to the cause of death and are unable to certify with certainty the cause of death.

In Illinois, an inquest, which is an investigation into the cause and circumstances of a death, may be conducted under various circumstances as outlined by state statutes. The Illinois Coroner's Act (55 ILCS 5/3-3007) mandates that a coroner conduct an inquest into the death of a person under conditions such as: death within 24 hours of admission to a hospital or institution, death in prison or jail, death from unnatural causes unless executed by the state, death without good witnesses, discovery of a body or body part with unknown cause or circumstances of death, deaths leading to suspicion of unlawful means, suspected suicides, deaths unattended by a physician where the cause is unknown, deaths of children that are required to be reported by law, and cases where a physician attended the deceased but cannot certify the cause of death with certainty. The coroner or a medical examiner, where applicable, is responsible for determining the necessity of an inquest and conducting it accordingly.