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?
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My brother passed away unexpectedly in October 2022.
The coronial nurse was amazing in how she explained the coronial care for my brother, and answered many questions that we had very carefully and sensitively. She explained a lot of the processes to me during the investigation.
Basically, they moved from least invasive testing procedures, to most invasive testing procedures as they went, reviewing results and looking for definitive causes at each step. Each step took time, depending on what the test was, who had to perform it, and who had to review the results.
Witness advice to the death, along with how long the body has been in place before discovery also plays a part in their investigation.
In our case, my brother had been in place for at least one day before I found him, and this made some testing more difficult and/or less reliable.
There can be literature review required for some cases where the cause is uncommon.
We did not know the definitive cause before my brother’s funeral, but there had been some preliminary evidence that pointed in a certain direction that required expert review. That review took a couple of months. Authoring of the report and finalisation of the cause on the death certificate came after that.
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