The Irish coroner just announced Sinead O’Connor died of natural causes (COPD and asthma – smokers take note). Why did it take them so long to figure that out? Do autopsy results always take over a year? What’s the hold up?
In: Other
Usually the simple answer is backlogs in the coronor/medical examiner’s office, the labs required to run tissue samples and pathology, and the priority of the case. While public interest in O’Connor’s death is high, it was ruled not-suspicious from the outset, which places it well behind in the priority list when you have suspicious deaths to go through. If there’s going to be a trial, then those cases take priority.
The family may have also requested additional testing, private autopsies, etc… and withheld the announcement until all of that was finished.
They just announced it. Doesn’t mean they just figured out the cause of death. Might have just been giving the family time to sign the release forms
the autopsy might have been completed for a while; but the request for the information to be released might have taken longer
depending on where you are autopsy can take a while (if not part of criminal investigations)……for example in ireland it might take 4-6months for family to get the post mortem report: [https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/post-mortems/](https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/post-mortems/)
Just making sure you realize that was 8 years ago. You could have competed high school and college since Sinead’s passing. Have a nice day!
How long are you saying in your title? Looks like less than a year, exactly 1 year, and over a year.
Why would an Irish coroner get involved?
She died in London.
Toxicology reports can take time. They have to isolate and grow cultures and the labs have pretty good backups too.
I was a CPS Investigator, and on fatality cases we couldn’t ever wait for the ME to release the report because it’s a minimum 4-6 month turn around.
Talking to the ME is huge though because they can tell you what they suspect but can’t specifically nail down.
Nothing to do with an Irish coroner, she died in London. The coroner in the UK published their decision in January. Her ex husband just registered the death certificate this week which contains the additional information about COPD.
[removed]
In the case of a friend where it took 9 months it was due to tests for drugs. She was found to have a massive fentanyl OD with a side car of cocaine. She was found in her running car in an apartment parking lot, not her own. I assume she thought she was getting coke oe maybe meth.
Drug ODs get low priority and have to wait for serious crimes, mysteries etc. ODs tend to be unclaimed anyway so there’s usually no hurry.
Oh, at the memorial the family said it was an aneurysm which I thought seemed unlikely though it could happen to even buff athletes. So I got her death cert after checking several times ( I do research at the recorders office weekly so it was no effort to look her up too)
Latest Answers