Hillsborough County Medical Examiner: Autopsy Reports

Records and autopsy reports from the medical examiner

How to request: Mail a brief letter with the decedent's name and date of death, plus a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope with two first-class stamps, to the Medical Examiner, 11025 N. 46th St., Tampa, FL 33617-2000. (hcfl.gov)
Records email: Autopsy reports may also be requested by email through the ME Records Request link on the county page. (hcfl.gov)
When reports are ready: Reports are usually available 18 weeks after the death. (hcfl.gov)
Cause of death: The cause of death can be given once the investigation is complete, often the day the body arrives. Call investigations at (813) 914-4567, 8 AM to 5 PM daily. (hcfl.gov)

Office	Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department (District 13)
Type	Medical examiner
Address	11025 N. 46th St., Tampa, FL 33617
Phone	(813) 914-4500
Hours	Administrative inquiries Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM
Official page	hcfl.gov

While the Medical Examiner investigates, usually all a family needs to do is select a funeral home or crematory; the funeral director handles the remaining details.
Investigations rarely delay funeral arrangements: caseload permitting, same-day release is typical for bodies received by midmorning.
If a death is solely from natural disease and a doctor can sign the death certificate, the funeral home or crematory may take the body directly to its facility.

Deaths involving cremation, burial at sea, donation to science or removal from the state must first be referred to the Medical Examiner for approval. The Medical Examiner reviews the cause of death information; transport to the office is usually not required if the death did not involve trauma.
Medical Examiner fees are paid through the county's online payment form.
Florida law (F.S. 406.11(1)(c)) puts every body that is to be cremated under the district medical examiner's review.

Official pages only, each with the day we read it. Hours and fees change: call first.