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Referral line for Canton and Stark County, Ohio24 hours a day, 7 days a week(330) 555-0163

Guide

After a death at home in Stark County

A short, factual order of events for families in Canton and Stark County. Some steps will not apply to you. Take them one at a time.

A woman at a kitchen table on the phone, with a notepad and a mug

Step by step

The usual order of things

  1. Call 911

    If no one has yet. Police and emergency crews respond to a death at home.

  2. The coroner is notified

    Ohio law (ORC 313.12) requires police, emergency crews and health care workers to notify the coroner when a death is sudden in apparent good health, violent, a suicide, or suspicious or unusual.

  3. The investigation

    The Stark County Coroner's Office determines cause and manner of death in the cases reported to it. An investigator is on call 24 hours a day.

  4. The funeral home

    The family chooses a funeral home. A death certificate marked "Pending Investigation" can be issued first so funeral services can go ahead.

  5. Death certificates

    The final certificate typically takes 4 to 6 weeks, according to the coroner's office. Certified copies come through the funeral director or the health department where the death happened.

  6. The cleanup

    Once the scene is released, the room can be cleaned. Call when you are ready.

Sources: ORC 313.12, Stark County Coroner's Office, Coroner's office FAQ

Stark County

Facts from the coroner's office

Stark County Coroner's Office

Investigates cause and manner of death in reported cases under its jurisdiction. 3053 Cleveland Ave. SW, Canton. (330) 451-1366, weekdays 8:30 to 4:30. After hours the line forwards to the Sheriff's Office, and an investigator is on call 24 hours a day.

Source: Stark County Coroner's Office

Autopsies

Ohio law does not require the family's permission for a coroner's autopsy (ORC 2108.52, as the office's FAQ explains). The office says next of kin are not charged for the autopsy or the tests it orders.

Source: Coroner's office FAQ

Records

Verified next of kin can request the coroner's records. The office's FAQ explains how to ask, in person or by phone during business hours.

Source: Coroner's office FAQ

Meanwhile

Looking after the house

Close the door to the room where the person died. Keep children and pets out. Don't try to clean blood or fluids, and don't throw out bedding or furniture yourself.

Collect what you need for the next few days: keys, phone chargers, the person's wallet and papers, medication, and anything the funeral home asks for. Everything else can wait.

A doorway sealed with clear plastic sheeting in a quiet hallway

When you are ready

One call, no pressure to decide on the spot

Some people call within the hour. Others wait until the funeral is over. Either is fine. Keep the affected room closed until then and leave the cleanup to people with the right equipment.

Talk it through with someone now

You reach an independent cleanup company that covers your ZIP code. Ask what they would do, how they price it and when they could start. You decide whether to go ahead.

Call (330) 555-0163

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Call (330) 555-0163