What kind of drugs do you check for during autopsies? Are there any easy access drugs that can go seemingly undetected so that the death can be ruled as of natural causes?
What can I do to make things easier on my loved one's as far as funeral arrangements and paperwork, etc? Is it the same all around the world, or different if I live outside the US?
I'm not a coroner, so I don't do autopsies- but I am quite familiar with them. I'm the one that fills out the death certificate after the coroner has done the autopsy, as well as the one that handles your body after, and takes care of your final disposition.
There are some drugs that cause a heart attack that may be overlooked. I believe those are covered in the PPeH.
As far as methods that are most likely to not be ruled as suicide:
-"Accidental" overdose. Person thought they were buying straight coke, but someone mixed fentanyl in it, or someone thought they were buying Percocet/Oxy/Whatever, but it was fentanyl. Keep in mind that if the source of your drugs can be found (via phone records, surveillance cams outside of businesses, etc.), depending on where you live, you are likely to cause that dealer to receive a homicide charge.
-Car/Motorcycle accident. Keep in mind that there are some signs that will cause suspicion. For example, your brakes were working but there was no sign of braking prior to you slamming into that pole/bridge support/etc. this can be written off if you're under the influence, however, you really shouldn't be under the influence and drive, because then you're risking *other* people's lives who didn't choose to ctb.
-"Slipping" off a steep cliff on a hiking trail. This can be complicated by witnesses, or time of day- it will be suspicious if you were hiking at night when you weren't known to do that. Maybe pose for an awesome selfie right before you "slip", just in case anyone can see.
As far as making things easier on your loved ones- Set up a prepaid "pre-need". Go to the funeral home of your choice, and tell them that you want to make sure that your funeral arrangements are taken care of, so that you can take that burden off of your family.
This is a common thing for people of all ages to do- it's not suspicious. It just means you're thinking ahead, and that if the worst were to happen, you want to help take the burden off of your family. It's no more suspicious than taking out a life insurance policy- you're doing your best to make sure the people you love are taken care of.
While making this pre-need, you get to spell out exactly what you want to happen- cremation, burial, etc. You get to pick if you want a service or not- and pick your coffin/casket, or urn, or if you want to be scattered and where, how. Hell, there are even services that can launch part of your cremated remains into space.
You sign all of your paperwork, so that loved ones don't have to. Most funeral homes also offer travel insurance, so that if you die away from home, your body will be transported back.
Pre-arrangements will vary from country to country, but your local funeral home will be happy to set you up with one and let you know its limitations.
In most parts of the world, pre-paid prearrangements are legally binding, and they can't be varied from. So if, for example, you don't want a service, but you want your loved ones to be able to purchase a funeral service to grieve you if they want? You need to state that you are okay with that.
Other important paperwork- a will and a living will. Especially the living will. Some places call that an Advanced Medical Directive or Advanced Directive. This is a legal document that spells out your wishes for medical care if you're unable to speak for yourself, for example, if you're in a coma.
It spells out what should be done and when, so that your loved one isn't left making the decision to pull the plug if you fail.
To those whose questions I haven't answered yet- I'll get to you later tonight.
Tbh i don't really care about what my body will become after my death. But i was wandering, isn't it depressing to work on those kind of jobs ?
Yes. It's soul crushing.
Most folks get into this line of work for one of two reasons:
-family business
Or,
-they have experienced a lot of loss in their life, and feel they can use that experience to help others
Most cases may not affect you, but some will absolutely hit you in the feels or hit too close to home.
Yeah, I always wondered, how does one become a mortician? Do you have to go to med school? tbh, I was very interested in the job for a while but ended up deciding that it wasn't worth it because I was too sensitive and too mentally messed up already.
It depends on where you live. Some countries it's an apprenticeship l, where you basically work under someone until you're experienced enough to do it on your own.
Some countries require a college degree in mortuary or funeral science.
Some countries require a combination of both.
Honestly, I think most of us in this profession are mentally ill to some degree- and that can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on the circumstances.
