how can i find out about the circumstances of my fathers death?

Question

his name was james white, born 12.21.1961 in boston ma, died 03.01.2007, in geneva in. its whispered that it was suicide yet no one will tell us for sure. he remarried for the umpteenth time and i have no idea who the last wife is. i have tried searching for records in many sites but they either charge an arm and a leg or they do not have any of the information i need. i am very curious to find out what exactly happened. if anyone can give me any information or can tell me where i may obtain information from i would be very grateful.

Answer 1

Try calling the local police/DA/Medical examiner in Geneva.

Answer 2

KittyKat nailed it on the head. Coroners don't release copies of autopsies, except to the executor of the estate or legal representative of the deceased. If there was foul play involved, the detective handling the case would have to be contacted to give you a copy of anything related to the investigation...even if it's closed.

The only thing I would add is that you might do well to use some of the local resources on this site:
http://home.att.net/~Local_History/Adams-Co-IN.htm
As noted, a hard copy of the death certificate, non-certified, is only $5.

It's doubtful that the obituary will tell you how he died. If it were a suicide, it usually glosses over that with "died suddenly" or "died unexpectedly". The obits are written by the funeral directors and they're very careful to take away as much of the sting and pain as they can when people die unexpectedly.

I would suggest you start with the death certificate. If you get it and it only says that he died of esophageal carcinoma of 5 months duration, you don't have to get the police involved. Find out what the official cause of death is before planning out how to prove or dispel a rumor. BTW, you don't need to know the wife's name to get information. You're a legal heir in the eyes of the law, so you're entitled to receive this information. Don't even mention that you don't know her name. Just ask for information about him and leave it at that.

Answer 3

If your father died in Boston, MA your best bed would be to contact the coroner of the county he died in and request a death certificate. If the police or an ambulance were called to the scene you can also request a copy of the report that was filed. This is pretty common when there is a suicide or any sort of a questionable death.

The police report SHOULD state the closest surviving relative and who was present when they arrived. If the hospital or police thought it was a suicide they should have done an autopsy, and it might take some wrangling but you should be able to (under the Freedom of Information Act) to get a copy of that report or at least the final determination.

Answer 4

Don't know where you live but your best bet is to probably go to Geneva to the library and dig through old newspaper articles, get a copy of the death certificate and see if you can find anyone who knew him. You can also go to the police department to get a copy of the report and try to talk with the detective assigned to the case. That detective will probably have the best information of anyone there.

If you can't go there, then call the police department Records Section and see what it cost to get a copy of the report and once you get that copy in hand, call the Detective Bureau and ask who was assigned to the case. Talk with that detective ~ others won't know or won't be able to release information since it isn't their case.

Call the library and see if they can help you in any way. Some will research and some won't and they may have to have it in writing before they can help you in any way. Find out what the cost is to get copies of things they may find (how much for each page).

Write to the Court House, Vital Statistics Division, and find out what it cost to get a copy of the death certificate. Then mail in the cost giving them his full name, date of death and date of birth (in case they can match with that somehow) and let them know you don't know his wife's name at the time he died. If you know what his address was or what location he died at, include both of those in your request.

I doubt the Coroner's Office will release anything without the approval (in writing) of the detective and what they have would be on file in the folder in the Detective Bureau so it's best just to deal with the detective. Unless there was something to prosecute, I doubt a D.A. would have been involved in anyway but the detective can also tell you more about that depending on how he died.

Sorry about your loss and hope you can get the information and find some resolution to this. Dealing with the city of Geneva is going to be the best way to get any information, if there is anything available or conclusive.

Answer 5

The Indiana State Department of Health makes birth and death certificates available to family members on line.

http://www.in.gov/isdh/bdcertifs/birth_and_death_certificates.htm

I couldn't find any information on your dad at Ancestry.com

Geneviev is right about the reluctance of obituary writers to state the cause of death in possible suicides. When I was a young reporter, about once a week I had to put in a night's work writing obituaries. The funeral homes used the phrase "died after a sudden illness" as an euphemism for suicide.

Answer 6

DId you try checking the obits in Geneva? Then maybe trying to contact the coroner? I'd start there.