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 Vermont, an inquest into the cause and circumstances of a death is typically conducted under the authority of the medical examiner or an authorized deputy in various situations as outlined by state statutes. An inquest may be required when a death occurs under suspicious or unclear circumstances, such as within 24 hours of hospital admission, in prison, from unnatural causes, without witnesses, or where the cause of death is unknown. It is also mandated in cases of suspected unlawful means, suicide, or when a death occurs without medical attendance and the cause is not known to the local health officer. Additionally, the death of a child that is legally mandated to be reported or any death where the attending physician cannot certify the cause with certainty may also trigger an inquest. These provisions ensure that deaths occurring under these specific conditions are thoroughly investigated to determine the cause and manner of death, which may have legal, public health, or administrative implications.