Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner

What Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner does

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME), formerly the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, is a government agency operating under the County of Los Angeles. By California state law, the DME holds exclusive jurisdiction to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of all deaths within Los Angeles County involving suspected homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths. The department serves families of decedents, law enforcement agencies, legal professionals, hospitals, mortuaries, property owners, and the public across the nation's most populous county.

The DME's core technical capabilities include standardized medicolegal autopsy protocols (distinct from hospital autopsies in their emphasis on external examination and injury documentation for legal proceedings), postmortem toxicology analysis of biological specimens (blood, organ sections, vitreous, bile, urine), forensic chain of custody documentation for evidence items, and online searchable databases including Case Search and an Unidentified Persons Search system that interfaces with the national NAMUS database. Operations are delivered from the department's headquarters at 1104 N. Mission Road, Los Angeles, with standard hours Monday–Friday 8:00am–5:00pm and after-hours emergency contact available.

As a government department, the DME is funded through Los Angeles County tax revenues and public budget allocations rather than commercial revenue. Most core services are provided without direct charges to families; a pilot program waiving transportation and storage fees for next of kin of decedents became permanent in January 2025 after Los Angeles County Board approval. The department regained full accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) in January 2026 after nearly a decade under provisional status. The DME is not a venture-backed or private commercial entity—no funding rounds, M&A activity, or private equity involvement is indicated.

Name

Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner

Legal name

County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner

Website

https://coroner.lacounty.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner provides mandated forensic death investigation—autopsies, postmortem toxicology, and evidence documentation—for deaths under California state jurisdiction across Los Angeles County, serving law enforcement, hospitals, mortuaries, families of decedents, and legal professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forensic Death Investigation / Medical Examiner Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Death Care Services (8122)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJAJAG

Mortality, Cause-of-Death Coding & Excess Death Analysis

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Statistics, Vital Records & Population Health Analytics

SECONDARYHSABAFAI

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare)

Home & Personal Services/Elder Care & In-Home Care Services/Hospice & Palliative In-Home Care

Keywords

• Forensic death investigation
• Medicolegal autopsy services
• Postmortem toxicology analysis
• Death certification services
• Unidentified persons identification

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. County Government Funding: As a Los Angeles County government department, the DME is funded through public tax revenues and county budget allocations. Services are provided as public functions mandated by California state law.
2. Fee-Based Services: The department previously charged transportation and storage fees for decedent services, though a pilot program waiving these fees became permanent in January 2025 after board approval, eliminating fees for next of kin of decedents seen by the department.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner provides statutorily mandated forensic death investigation for Los Angeles County. Services include medicolegal autopsies, postmortem toxicology laboratory analysis, evidence collection with chain-of-custody documentation, and determination of cause and manner of death for suspected homicides, suicides, and accidental deaths. The department also operates public online case-search and unidentified-persons databases, and provides grief support and educational resources to families of decedents.

Product overview

The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) operates as a government forensic science and death investigation agency. The organization offers a portfolio of services including Case Search and Unidentified Persons Search as online searchable databases, Forensic Labs providing toxicology and laboratory analysis, and Medicolegal Autopsy Services. Supporting resources include DME Fact Sheets for Families and Grief Resources. The department investigates deaths under state jurisdiction (homicides, suicides, accidents) and provides independent forensic science services for public health and safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Case Search Online searchable database allowing users to search death investigation cases by first name, last name, age, date of death, and case number. Available to the public, families of decedents, and law enforcement agencies.
• Unidentified Persons Search Searchable database of unidentified persons filterable by gender, ethnicity, and date found, used to assist in identifying unknown decedents and participating in the national NAMUS system.
• Online Services Portal Digital portal providing various online services for families, law enforcement, hospitals, mortuaries, and other stakeholders of the Department of Medical Examiner.
• Forensic Labs Forensic laboratory services including toxicology analysis of biological specimens (blood, organs, vitreous, bile, urine) to detect drugs, toxins, and poisons for determining cause and manner of death.
• Medicolegal Autopsy Services Forensic autopsies designed to determine cause of death, document findings, collect evidence, and reconstruct circumstances of death for legal investigations. Differs from hospital autopsies by emphasizing external examination, injury documentation, and standardized reproducible protocols.
• Death Investigation Services Government-mandated death investigation services for deaths including suspected homicide, suicide, accidental deaths, and other deaths as defined by California state law. Determines the circumstances, manner, and cause of death for legal proceedings, public health, and decedent-related stakeholder needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Full accreditation restored from National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) in January 2026 after nearly a decade under provisional status

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NAMUS (National Missing and Unidentified Persons System)coreOthersThe department participates in NAMUS, a national database system for unidentified persons and missing persons cases. This partnership enables information sharing across jurisdictions for unidentified decedent identification and missing person matching.
• California Department of Public HealthcoreOthersReferenced as resource for biohazard cleanup guidance and medical waste regulations. The DME coordinates with CDPH on public health hazard investigations and regulatory compliance matters.
• Los Angeles County Sheriff's DepartmentcoreOthersPrimary law enforcement partner for death investigations. Sheriff's department works with DME for crime scene investigation, evidence collection, and forensic pathology services for criminal cases.
• Los Angeles County Department of Public HealthcoreOthersCollaboration on public health surveillance and investigation. DME notifies Public Health of contagious disease deaths and public health hazards discovered during death investigations.
• 211 LA CountyminorOthersReferenced as a community resource available to families and the public seeking assistance. DME website directs visitors to 211 LA County for general help and community services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department: Medical examiner department for Miami-Dade County, providing death investigation and forensic pathology services. Directly comparable public-agency medical examiner serving a large metropolitan county.
• Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences: Forensic sciences institute serving Harris County (Houston), providing death investigation, forensic pathology, and crime laboratory services. Similar structure combining medicolegal investigation with full forensic lab capability.
• Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office: Medical examiner office serving Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas. Public-agency peer performing medicolegal death investigation under Texas code, comparable in jurisdictional mandate and forensic laboratory operations.
• San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office: Medical examiner office serving San Diego County, California. Closest in-state peer with overlapping state-law framework, comparable population base, and similar forensic investigation mandate.
• Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner: Medical examiner's office serving Maricopa County (Phoenix), with statutory responsibility for investigating deaths under Arizona law. Comparable in scale, NAME accreditation status, and forensic laboratory infrastructure.
• King County Medical Examiner's Office: Medical examiner office serving King County (Seattle), Washington. Comparable in scope, NAME-accredited forensic pathology operations, and metropolitan-scale caseload.
• Cook County Medical Examiner's Office: Medical examiner office for Cook County (Chicago), providing medicolegal death investigation and forensic pathology. Comparable in jurisdictional scope, urban population base, and NAME-accredited forensic laboratory operations.
• New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner: Public medical examiner office serving New York City, providing forensic death investigation, toxicology, and identification services. Closest functional analog in terms of statutory jurisdiction, forensic laboratory operations, and metropolitan-scale caseload.

Regional players

• Alameda County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau: Coroner/medical examiner function for Alameda County, California. In-state peer providing death investigation services; relevant regional comparison for staffing models, accreditation status, and intra-California workload benchmarks.

Emerging players

• NMS Labs: Private forensic and clinical toxicology reference laboratory providing postmortem toxicology and specialized testing. Adjacent peer because the DME operates an in-house toxicology lab; NMS represents a private-sector substitute or supplementary provider for similar analytical work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/los-angeles-county-department-of-coroner

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Los Angeles County Department Of Coroner