I Pit The Medical Examiner

The BBQ Pit
1

It seems when I do have something to post, it is always in the pit as I am always bitching about one thing or another. However, I always walk away with useful information which is why I continue to do so.

Today I am pitting the medical examiner of the state that my deceased father in law lived and was killed in an accident.

Having no idea how the FIL girlfriend managed to have the man cremated and scattered (against our wishes) we requested the death certificate which has arrived.

The girlfriend put herself down as “wife” and “next of kin”. These are lies and even if she claims common law wife, it must be proven and a medical examiner has an obligation to verify this information. The woman had a different last name and yet, no one asked her for any proof and released the body directly to her.

I am still appalled at the entire situation and my husband fully intends to name her in any law suit he can possible bring against the medical examiner that completed this fraudulent legal document.

Can anyone claim to be next of kin and collect a body with no proof required? Maybe we have a medical examiner as a member who can explain how this could happen.

2

I was allowed to sign my dad into the hospice and authorize removal of tubes etc. My last name is the same as dads but, not a soul asked to see my identification. ever. or documentation we were related.

My husband and I have different last names, I’d not be happy to have to dig out my copy of our marriage license under those circumstances.

3

Foxy40, the heart of your OP seems to be a (rather interesting) question about how next of kin claims work and what a medical examiner’s legal obligation is to verify claims of kinship. I think this will make a much better thread in GQ than in the Pit. I’m going to close this one, and I encourage you to (slightly) rewrite it with a more GQ-relevant title and text and repost it there. Email me if you’d rather I just moved this one perhaps with a title change.