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 Maryland, an inquest into the cause and circumstances of a death may be conducted under various conditions as outlined by state statutes. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is responsible for investigating deaths that occur under certain circumstances. These circumstances include deaths that occur within 24 hours of hospital admission, in prison or jail, from unnatural causes, without witnesses, or where the body is found and the cause of death is unknown. Additionally, deaths that raise suspicion of unlawful means, suspected suicides, unattended deaths where the cause is unknown to the reporting health officer, child deaths that are legally mandated to be reported, and deaths attended by a physician who cannot certify the cause of death with certainty may also trigger an inquest. The OCME has the authority to decide when an autopsy, external examination, or other forensic tests are necessary to determine the cause and manner of death. The findings from these investigations are crucial for legal and public health reasons and may be used in criminal proceedings, to settle estates, or for the issuance of death certificates.