# I need help to find out if my best friend from High School really died
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 30, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965 "2003-07-30T19:22:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rabbit)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/1 "2003-07-30T19:22:55Z")
OK, turning to you guys cause I havent got a clue where to look first.
I just received an email from an old high school friend who told me that she was told by ANOTHER classmate that my best friend in High School had died.
I had lost touch with him about 7 years or so ago (I moved around a lot and so did he), so Ive not heard anything more than the odd note here and there, usually from someone who had run into him by accident at some point or another.
I live fairly far from our old city, so I can’t go there physically (at least not easily), and he lived with his aunt and uncle (who had different last name, and I never really learned it), so I can’t look his next of kin up either.
Does anyone know of any directory or listings that might show who died in any given city? Im looking for the city of Mississauga, Ontario Canada.
If this doesnt work, Im going to see if I can take a couple days to see if I can go down there.
ANY help would be greatly appreciated.
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### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/2 "2003-07-30T19:30:07Z")
I’m sorry for your (apparent) loss
two ideas:
Your friend heard the report from another friend. Can you get in contact with that person and find out how they heard about the death? You could call them up and say, “Cite??”
Something I’ve done is go to the website for the local newspaper (Mississauga’s paper). Most newspapers have their articles online, including obituaries.
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### Author:  [@wet\_marble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wet_marble)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/3 "2003-07-30T19:32:59Z")
You could also contact the local police department (Mounty department?) in Mississauga. They are generally notified in the event of a death and would have records.
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### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/4 "2003-07-30T20:53:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by wet marble \*
> \*\*(Mounty department?) in Mississauga. \*\*
Funny-ha-ha. :dubious:
Hm. Best starting point I could think of is the obits of the Toronto Star. They have their obit section online that also has links to a Canadian Obituaries archive (on the right hand side of the page). I’ve never used it so can’t vouch for it’s quality.
The [Toronto Star obit section.](http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&c=Page&cid=993550047134)
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### Author:  [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/5 "2003-07-30T21:26:29Z")
Hmm, I don’t know if they will keep obit’s of people who died that long ago.
Ironically I’m in mississauga now but I wouldn’t know where to look. The police might have something but I’m thinking a regular non-criminal death might not be logged with the mississauga police.
You can’t find his parents? They should know.
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### Author:  [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/6 "2003-07-30T22:54:05Z")
Does Canada have the equivalent of the UK’s Friends Reunited (I think the US is [classmates.com](http://classmates.com)?) - a website where you can sign up and make contact with old school friends?
If so, join up and if he isn’t registered ☹ try to contact a mutual friend who might know what has become of him … I hope it’s good news.
Julie
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### Author:  [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2003, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/7 "2003-07-31T14:27:08Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by badmana \*
> **Hmm, I don’t know if they will keep obit’s of people who died that long ago.**
Possibly not on-line, but it would still be in the newspaper archives – oo! I remember back in the day when you had to look using primitive technology called “micro-film” or “micro-fiche.”
If you call the Toronto Star they can tell you how to best search the archives. I used to search at a university’s library. If you know roughly when your friend’s death may have occured, or at least the year, it would narrow the search considerably.
Otherwise you could try to contact the [Office of the Registrar General](http://www.cbs.gov.on.ca/mcbs/english/family_tree.htm) (they hang on to death records for the past 70 years). I’m not sure how easy it is to get info if you aren’t a family member though (which may or may not make a difference, no idea.)
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### Author:  [@GolfWidow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GolfWidow)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-help-to-find-out-if-my-best-friend-from-high-school-really-died/191965/8 "2003-07-31T17:13:21Z")
[URL=http://www.arrangeonline.com