am trying to find information on my cousins suicide she died 34 years ago?

Question

She shot herself and I never was told the story.How can I look up obituary archive or death notice that is that dated? Are death records free to view online?Don't want to use a service and no one in the family seems to know the details...Would some information be in Law enforcement archives? Don't know where to begin.. Any hints or tips would be appreciated

Answer 1

There are obituary archives on line. Just put "obituary archive" in google and see what comes up.

Failing that, you can use the Google News archive by putting in your relative's name - I think the archives give you a ten-year period.

Failing that, you would need to go to the library and look at a back issue of the newspaper from wherever she died.

For a more detailed account, you would probably have to contact the police department.

Answer 2

yes, there should be a police report and maybe coroner's report. An obituary will PROBABLY not be specific as to the cause of death. I used to type/write obits for a local newspaper, and the general policy was no specifics - this is to spare the family further needless pain. I won't guarantee this will be true in all cases, just the policy I know of. An obit that old will probably not be online, but you should be able to track it down either via the original newspaper files, or the local library.
Death certificates will have a bit more specifics. Due to id theft, more and more states are restricting access to these. Meaning, a direct family member (parent/ child, maybe sibling) can get the copy. Cousin is borderline. No, death certificates are usually not online, for just this reason. There are exceptions, by time and place.
I don't know the specific on the police files. Sometimes, they ARE public record and you can access or view them. Confirm your place and date, contact the department, and ask. Worst that can happen is that they will say they cannot. Law enforcement being what it is... they may do it anyway, if you approach them with respect, and talk to the right person.
Last... the REAL story. What was going on, and her mental state. That may or may not be reflected in any public records. Family members may or may not choose to discuss what they know. In all honesty, I am aware of family members who have serious emotional problems, but they have never faced them, and don't seek treatment. It is a very real tragedy that persons with severe depression, or sometimes bipolar disorder are undiagnosed, and thus don't get life saving treatment. You won't find a record of something that people didn't see happening. My 4 line soapbox, and I'll get down.
Good luck.

Answer 3

I have done such a search for a tar & feathering. I called the police station in the area. And explained what and why I was looking for the information. If they still have the information they must let you see it. But it is only kept for so many years. Well in my case it was beyond the time period (1930), so I had to call the local Newspaper and they have archives there, they told me when (date of paper) and where(page #) to look for the information at the local Library in their newspaper section. And low and behold it was there. Other wise, I'd look at the county court house of the county in which the death occurred. I have never had a problem getting a DR (only Birth records are hard to get). There if it was classified as a suicide it should list it. Sometimes they don't put it down as such only non-determined cause.
Good Luck

Answer 4

http://www.tedpack/obit.html
has four ways to find an obit, with links;
Online
Go to the library
Write to the library
Post a request on a county-level board

That far back, you'd probably have to use one of the last three. As the other posters mentioned, there may not be an obit, and it may hide the details. If it was a slow news day in a small town with a heartless editor, there may have been a news story with all the gory details instead of or in addition to the obit.

Answer 5

If you are asking this from the UK, if you would like to contact me through my profile then I would be quite happy to get you the information/story from the local newspaper.
Good luck with your search anyway.