The Fulton County Medical Examiner
Atlanta, Georgia

How We Can Help You

The three main products that result from our work are:

• Written reports of our investigation
• Written reports of postmortem examinations (External examinations & Autopsies)
• Completion of the cause-of-death section of the death certificate

Our professional staff  also engages in court testimony and/or depositions as appropriate in criminal or civil law cases. The office may also be able to refer callers to qualified pathologists for those callers who are trying to locate a pathologist to perform an autopsy or consult with under private arrangement.

During our investigations and postmortem examinations, it is not uncommon for us to:

• Prepare photographs
• Obtain specimens of tissue for microscopic examination
• Obtain specimens of body fluids for toxicology and other testing
• Obtain copies of medical records and police reports

Please note that we do not provide copies of  Death Certificates. Certified copies of death certificates must be obtained from the Funeral Home or from the Vital Records Department. In Fulton County, the Vital Records Department is located in the Fulton County Health Department on Butler Street, across the street from Grady Hospital. The phone number is 404-730-1260.  Death certificates are filed in the county where death occurred. This means that most of the death certificates completed by the FCME are filed in Fulton County, but once in a while, a death certificate we complete will be filed in a different county.

Our policy is to provide copies of only those reports generated by our office. Copies of reports that we obtain from other agencies  (such as medical records, police reports, crime lab reports, etc) must be obtained by you directly from those agencies-- we cannot release them. In general, we try to limit release of our reports only to those persons and agencies who have a direct and legitimate interest in the case in question.

Items we can provide in most cases include, along with their costs:

• Proof of Death Form (Only provided if Death Certificate is not available)            No Charge
• Certified Postmortem /Autopsy Reports (with Investigative Summary)                25¢ per page
• Photographic reproduction of Polaroid photo                                                     $   3.50 each
• Re-cuts of tissues from blocks (unstained)                                                          $   6.00 each
• H&E stained slide reproduction                                                                          $12.00 each
• Histology special stains                                                                                       $50.00 each
• CD of photographs or X-rays                                                                             $20.00 each

For the above items, all requests must be made in writing and prepaid. Please include the deceased's name, date of death, and the FCMEC case file number (if known).  For further assistance or information, contact us at 404-730-4400. Angela Wright is the FCMEC staff person who usually assists in such requests.  Our address is

Fulton County Medical Examiner's Center
430 Pryor St SW
Atlanta, GA 30312