Reportable Deaths

WI Statute 979.01 lists the types of deaths that must be reported, which include the following:

• Deaths with unexplained, unusual, or suspicious circumstances
• Homicides
• Suicides
• Accidental deaths, regardless of whether the injury is the primary cause of death
• Maternal deaths following an abortion
• Poisonings, whether homicidal, suicidal, or accidental
• Cases when the physician caring for the decedent refuses to sign the death certificate
• Cases when a physician is not available to certify the death in the required timeframe (Requirement is within 6 days of death pronouncement)
• Deaths while in the custody of a law enforcement agency, state or federal department of corrections, or involving actions of a law enforcement officer

Our office also receives reports under circumstances not listed in WI 979.01

• Emergency room deaths
• Deaths of patients within 24 hours of admission to a health care facility
• Deaths associated with a diagnostic, anesthetic, or therapeutic procedure
• Unidentified remains or bones discovered outside of a designated burial place
• Deaths of individuals with a history of falls or trauma
• Agency-specific protocols