How to Find a Cause of Death in Delaware (2026)

To find someone's cause of death in Delaware, look to the death certificate, where the medical examiner or attending physician certifies the cause, and to any autopsy report from a death investigation. These records are confidential in Delaware and are not public until 40 years after the death, so you must qualify as an eligible requester to obtain the cause-of-death details before then.

How Do You Find Someone's Cause of Death in Delaware?

You find someone's cause of death in Delaware by obtaining a record that contains the medical certification of death. The two primary records are the death certificate and, when a death investigation occurred, the medical examiner's autopsy report.

The death certificate carries a cause-of-death section completed by the certifying physician or the medical examiner. This is the official statement of what the person died from.

For deaths that are investigated, the Division of Forensic Science prepares an autopsy report with far more clinical detail. That report supports the cause and manner of death listed on the certificate.

Because both records are confidential in Delaware, the practical path depends on your relationship to the deceased and how long ago the death occurred. Eligible relatives can request the certificate now; anyone can access the record once it is 40 years old.

Is the Cause of Death Public in Delaware?

No. The cause of death is not public in Delaware. It is part of the confidential death record, which is closed to public inspection until 40 years have elapsed after the date of death.

Delaware sets this rule in 16 Del. C. § 3110, the same statute that keeps the entire death certificate confidential. The cause-of-death detail is not separated out or released to the general public during that 40-year window.

This is stricter than open-record states, where anyone can buy a certified death certificate. In Delaware, the medical cause of death travels with the confidential certificate and the eligible-requester limits that apply to it.

Autopsy reports are handled under a separate confidentiality rule and are also not public. They are released only to the legal next of kin and parties the next of kin authorize.

Where the Cause of Death Is Recorded

The cause of death is recorded in two distinct places: the death certificate and, when applicable, the autopsy report. They serve different purposes.

On the Death Certificate

Every Delaware death certificate has a medical certification section. The certifier, either the attending physician or a medical examiner, lists the immediate cause of death, any underlying conditions, and the manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, or undetermined).

This is the record most people mean when they ask how someone died. It is concise and authoritative, but it is locked inside the confidential certificate until the 40-year mark.

In the Autopsy Report

When a death is investigated, the Division of Forensic Science produces an autopsy report. Delaware runs a statewide medical examiner system, so there are no county coroners issuing separate reports.

The medical examiner investigates and certifies the cause and manner of death for non-natural, violent, drug-related, in-custody, suspicious, and unexplained deaths, as well as deaths with no physician available to certify. The autopsy report explains the findings behind that certification in detail.

How to Request Records That Show the Cause of Death

To request records that show the cause of death, start with the record you are eligible to obtain. For most families, that is the certified death certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics.

A certified copy costs $25.00, which is the maximum fee 16 Del. C. § 3132 allows, and you must show a valid government photo ID. The same statute directs the State Registrar to furnish one certified copy of a veteran's death certificate free of charge to a relative when that copy is essential to settling a claim involving the veteran's affairs.

For deaths within the past 40 years, the deceased's spouse, children, parents, guardian, or an authorized representative may order one. Others may be authorized to obtain a certified copy when they demonstrate that the record is needed for the determination or protection of their personal or property rights or for genealogical purposes, and a court of competent jurisdiction can also order a record released. The Office of Vital Statistics accepts requests by mail, in person, or online through its authorized vendor.

To request the more detailed autopsy report, the legal next of kin submits a written request to the Division of Forensic Science. Insurers and attorneys need a notarized authorization signed by the next of kin, and no report is released while a related criminal prosecution is pending.

If you are not an eligible relative and the death is recent, you cannot simply buy the certificate, but you are not necessarily shut out. A sibling, grandchild, executor, insurer, or genealogist can apply on the demonstrated-need or genealogical basis in § 3110(b), or ask a court to order the record released. If neither route fits, the obituary, a funeral notice, or news coverage may be your only available source until the record turns 40.

Finding the Cause of Death for Older or Historical Deaths

For older deaths, the cause of death becomes much easier to find. Once a Delaware death record is 40 years old, it is no longer confidential and is open to the public.

At that point, the record is transferred from the Office of Vital Statistics to the Delaware Public Archives. The Archives holds death certificates older than 40 years and maintains death registers and indices that researchers can search.

Delaware has required statewide death registration since 1913, so the Archives covers more than a century of records. You can search the online death registers or contact the Archives to request a certified copy of an older certificate, which will show the cause of death.

For confirming only that a person died, the Social Security Death Index is a useful public tool. It reports the fact and date of death but never includes the cause of death.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, fees, and processing times can change. Confirm current requirements with the Office of Vital Statistics or the Division of Forensic Science before you rely on them.

Sources

This page draws on the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics, the Delaware Division of Forensic Science, the Delaware Public Archives, and Title 16 and Title 29 of the Delaware Code.

Up to Delaware Death Records and the hub Death Records by State. See also Are Cause of Death Records Public?

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find someone's cause of death in Delaware?

Obtain a record that contains the medical certification: the death certificate from the Office of Vital Statistics, or the medical examiner's autopsy report for an investigated death. Both are confidential, so within 40 years of the death you must be an eligible relative or authorized representative, or show that you need the certificate for the determination or protection of your personal or property rights or for genealogical purposes under 16 Del. C. § 3110(b).

Is the cause of death public record in Delaware?

No. Under 16 Del. C. § 3110, the death record and its cause-of-death detail are confidential and not open to public inspection until 40 years after the date of death. After 40 years the record becomes public.

How can I find out how a relative died in Delaware?

If you are the spouse, child, parent, guardian, or authorized representative, request a certified death certificate ($25.00) from the Office of Vital Statistics, which shows the cause of death. The legal next of kin can also request the more detailed autopsy report from the Division of Forensic Science.

Does the death certificate show the cause of death in Delaware?

Yes. The Delaware death certificate has a medical certification section where the physician or medical examiner lists the immediate cause, underlying conditions, and the manner of death. That detail stays confidential until the certificate is 40 years old.

How do I get a cause of death for an old death?

Once a death is more than 40 years old, the record is public and held by the Delaware Public Archives. You can search the Archives' online death registers or request a certified copy of the older certificate, which shows the cause of death.

Can anyone find out a cause of death in Delaware?

Not freely, for recent deaths. Within 40 years, eligible relatives and authorized representatives can obtain the cause from the certificate, and others may be authorized under 16 Del. C. § 3110(b) if they demonstrate a personal or property right or a genealogical purpose, or by court order. Autopsy reports stay limited to the legal next of kin and those they authorize. Anyone can access the cause once the record is 40 years old and public at the Delaware Public Archives.