Medicolegal Death Investigators Training

Saint Louis University's Medicolegal Death Investigators Training Course explores conducting scientific, systematic and thorough death scene and telephone investigations for medical examiners and coroner offices.

The 40-hour basic training is designed for police officers, coroners, physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, attorneys, forensic scientists and other professionals involved in investigating violent, suspicious or unexpected deaths that fall under the jurisdiction of medicolegal authorities.

Course Overview

The Medicolegal Death Investigators Training Course is an introductory-level course for individuals who work in or work with medicolegal offices and are new to medicolegal death investigation. Participants learn to gather essential information, like scene details and medical history, to help medical examiners or coroners determine a person's cause and manner of death.

Lectures from forensic specialists cover all major categories of deaths that occur in medicolegal jurisdictions, with a specific focus on the investigator's role. Because most presenters are from the St. Louis area, they will present on local medicolegal procedures; however, many of these procedures can be adopted in other jurisdictions.

The course teaches the 29 national guidelines set forth in the National Institutes of Justice 1999 publication, "Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator." Participants are instructed to properly disseminate information to forensic scientists and law enforcement personnel to achieve a coordinated, efficient and complete death investigation.

Please note: This course emphasizes the medical aspects of death investigation and is not designed to be a homicide seminar. Experienced death investigators seeking information beyond the introductory level should consider the University's Masters Advanced Death Investigation Conference.

Course Dates and Registration

Oct. 12-15, 2026

The October training course will take place Monday through Thursday, Oct. 12-15. More details to come later in June.