Introduction
This page contains the script for the deaths investigation informational video. You can view the video below.
Video script
When someone dies, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service may be involved in investigating their death.
We investigate deaths that are sudden, suspicious, unexpected, or unexplained.
We know having your relative’s death investigated can be worrying. This video will help guide you through the investigation process by explaining some of what may happen.
Most deaths are reported to us by a doctor. They may also be reported to us by the Police, though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the death is suspicious.
We will discuss the death with a doctor and if they cannot immediately issue a death certificate then we may have to ask for a post-mortem examination, which helps to determine why someone died.
The funeral can take place when the death certificate is issued, and we will work hard for this to happen as soon as possible. Sometimes a pathologist can issue an interim death certificate while investigations are ongoing.
We will let you know if there has been any change to the cause of death.
How long the investigation takes will depend on the circumstances of the death.
In many cases, we are able to close our investigations once we receive the final post-mortem report.
We will let you know if there has been any change to the cause of death.
More complicated investigations may take longer.
Further investigations may include:
• instructing an expert to prepare a report for us, for example a doctor who is an expert in a particular area of medicine
• asking other organisations to complete their own investigations, for example the NHS to complete their investigation into the circumstances surround the death
We aim to complete our investigations as quickly as possible.
We will keep in touch with you during the investigation in line with your wishes.
Our Family Liaison Charter explains our standards for communication with you.
We will ask you for your views before we make certain decisions. And we will always aim to respect your wishes and cultural and religious traditions as much as possible.
More information about the death investigation process is available on our website at copfs.gov.uk.
Here you will also find links to bereavement support organisations who can offer help.