Medicolegal Death Investigators Training

Saint Louis University's 40-hour Medicolegal Death Investigators Training Course provides individuals with information on conducting scientific, systematic and thorough death scene and telephone investigations for medical examiner and coroner offices.

The basic training is equally valuable to police officers, coroners, physicians, nurses, emergency medical personnel, attorneys, forensic scientists and others involved in investigating violent, suspicious or unexpected deaths that fall under the jurisdiction of medicolegal authorities.

For those who have completed the introductory training, the Masters Advanced Death Investigator Conference is held biannually and covers current topics that have emerged since the previous masters conference. 

About the Training

This course aims to provide information to individuals who work in or work with medicolegal offices. This course is intended as an introductory course for those new to medicolegal death investigation. Participants learn to develop the essential facts regarding the death scene, medical history and other information that assists medical examiners or coroners in determining a person's cause and manner of death.

Lectures are presented by forensic specialists on all major categories of deaths that occur in medicolegal jurisdictions, with particular emphasis placed on the investigator's role in the death investigation. Because most presenters are from the St. Louis area, medicolegal procedures of the local jurisdictions are presented; however, many of these procedures can be transferred to your jurisdiction.

The course teaches the 29 national guidelines set forth in the National Institutes of Justice 1999 publication, "Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator." Participants are instructed in the proper way to disseminate information to forensic scientists and law enforcement personnel so that a coordinated, efficient and complete death investigation can be achieved.

This course emphasizes the medical aspects of death investigation and is not designed to be a homicide seminar. This course is designed as an introductory level course. Experienced death investigators seeking information beyond the basic introductory information presented in the basic course should consider our Masters Death Investigation Course. 

Medicolegal Death Investigator Conference

March 10-13, 2025 

Registration will open soon.

Oct. 6-9, 2025 

Registration will open in the spring.