How do i go about finding out how my father died 4 years ago?

Question

My father died September 17 or 18 of 2003 when i was just 14. I am now 18 and i feel that i wasnt told the entire truth. The case was closed as an "accident" but how could someone who is found on a roof of a building with severe head damage be an accident. (supposedly fell from one roof to the other and this was not where he lived either) I being his daugther was never even called to be questioned at ALL which i find strange, what kind of death investigation is that? I don't believe it and i just want some facts. What do i do, go to a precinct? i dont know where to go to find out. HELP please! really appreciate any info.

this happened in manhattan New York

i want facts preferrably from documents from that "investigation" or "case"

My aunt is the only one who really knows if there is anything else. she was the one who was called and had to identify the body. : /

Answer 1

First get a copy of your father's Death Certificate.

If you know the location where your father died, then go to that Police Precinct Station. Explain to the Desk Sargeant that you are wanting a copy of the police report on your father's death. Since you are the victim's daughter and a legal adult, you should be able to get the copy. Expect some resistance, police are always reluctant to release reports like this. Do not go in with the attitude that they are trying to cover something up. Just explain that you were a young child when he died and never were told all the details. If you still can not get the report, then you might have to talk to an attorney. If there is a Legal Aid Society or an organization like that, they can supply free or low cost assistance. Some departments have formal procedures in place for requesting reports, the Desk Sargeant should be able to supply you with what ever form has to be filled out. Do not expect immediate results, these requests are evaluated and it does take time.

If the police handled your father's death as an accident, it is very possible that you would not be interviewed. Unless you saw the accident, what could you tell the investigator? With accident investigations, sometimes the cause of the accident is very apparent, meaning a short investigation. The only time an accident investigation takes a lot of time is when the cause is not clear or their is a public safety issue involved.

Another point. Do not expect a long report. Most accident investigations like this might take all of one sheet of paper. That always seems a shock to people getting a fatal accident report, that a death can be explained in so few words. That does not mean the investigation was not complete, it just means that the cause was pretty straight forward.

Many years ago I was called to a home where a child had fallen out of a tree he was climbing. The fall broke the child's neck, killing him. My report was a short paragraph stating that at such and such time, the child climbed a tree at his home at such and such address. Two playmates (witnesses) saw him lose his grip and fall. What else can you say.

I am sorry you lost your father at such a young age. The tragedy of accidents is that they are often such a pointless way to lose a life.

God bless you. . .

Answer 2

I would first ask myself,
1. If it was a self-inflicted injury do I really want to know?
2. Will any further information change anything?
3. If there is some information that I would rather not have uncovered, is that the last memory of my father I want?
4. Will I be opening Pandora's Box?
5. Am I going to be willing to accept what I find out?
6. When will I be satisfied?
7. Will I be opening old wounds for others?
8. If my aunt knows something that she knows would upset me, how far am I willing to press her.
9. What are the parameters that I must set for myself?
10. How much money am I willing to spend to find out any more information and will I be upset with myself if there was nothing more, after spending all of that money?

Unless you can find an eye witness to the accident, everything else is going to speculation, and anything else you do hear or find may or may not be factual.

Is it really that important to you to pry into it any further? Do you really want to hear or read something that is going to upset you, and then wish you had never uncovered?

Once you open the door again and if there is any other information, you will never be able to put it back. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. My suggestion is that you ask your aunt if there is more to the story and if there is something she would rather not share with you. I would consider not pushing the issue unless she wants you to know more.

If you are still persistant, check with that countie's libraries and see if they can find the story in the newspaper. Sometimes they write more than what the police would like for them to reveal.

The ME/Cornoers report will only report what the cause was that actually killed him, not the incident. If he was hit or he fell all it would reveal is that the cause was from a blunt or sharp force trauma. These reports are for the medical reason, not the activity itself that was in play when it occurred.

Unless you are willing or able to take some information that you would rather not have heard, I would strongly suggest accept what the police report states. You may be able to obtain a copy of the police report through the Police departments records section.

Your aunt only knows what the police told her, since she wasn't a witness. The police report will give the names and addresses of all witnesses. Have you talked with your mother to find out if she knows anymore that what you were told? Remind her you are now an adult, and you do have the right to make the decision for youself to whether you want to know the truth. Ask her if there is more to the story that might change your opinion of your father. Again, ignorance can be bliss.

Good luck on what ever your decision may be.

Answer 3

I am suggesting several different alternative paths you could follow to gather information. Each one will take you only so far, then as you get more info, you can go back to earlier sources and look again, armed with the additional clues.

If the police think it was an accident, there might not need to have been an autopsy ... laws and practices vary over time and around the country.

You need to see if you can find a death certificate ... there should be one on file with the county court house where your Dad lived / died. This is public record that any citizen of the county may see. It may be that you have to wait until age 21 before you may see it.

The death certificate will identify exact date.

There may have been newspaper articles at the time, when body discovered, later info from police investigation. Public Libraries have copies of old newspapers on microfilm, with machines that are like Internet search engines to help you find stories from years ago.

The newspapers also have similar archives.

News media comes and goes, changes names, gets bought out, so there may have been some newspaper at the time that no longer around today, but their info might still be in library archives.

Police records must be voluminous ... you can go ask police station, district attorney office for information on getting at relevant records, like autopsy report if there was one, but again you may need to be age 21 before they will show you.

Your Dad may have had insurance policy, and the insurance company would have had copies of the relevant paperwork at the time, but they only need to keep the paperwork a few years afterwords ... might be all gone now.

Did your Dad have a will? Who benefited?

Answer 4

Because you are an adult now, it will be a little easier to find the information you need. Start with your family, (write everything down) let them know you need closure, you really need to know what happened. if that doesn't work, try the police, you may need to pay for a police report. or another route you might take is the Funeral Home,they are great at helping with info you need. Good Luck!

Answer 5

i am not an expert on this but i think you can go to a precinct or the police or the place where they did the autopsy and ask or go to your local newspaper and ask them. also talk to family members like your mother. because they may have not wanted you to get scared when you were just 14 so they didnt tell you the whole details.

Answer 6

Talk to your Aunt, go to the newspapers, go to the police and find a kind officer to help you and then, go to the coroner. You should be able to find out quite a bit more. Cry if you have to.If they see how badly upset it has you not to know the facts, most people will help.

Answer 7

Start by looking at the police report. That's all public information. Look at the copy of the death certificate as well to see what the coroner/ME ruled for the death.

Answer 8

Request a copy of the death certificate from the state. It will state the exact cause of death. You have to pay a fee for it but you'll have it for your records.

Answer 9

i suggest you go to the police station and ask to speak to the officer that was in charge at the time your father died.i am sure if he or she is still there they will only be too glad to assist you if they are not there any more ask to talk to someone else.[they will have files etc.]good luck you have to start somewhere and the rest will fall in to place.

Answer 10

Ask one of your family members to give you the truth. If they don't tell you the truth say this: "Tell me the truth now or else I will ignore you for a long time."