By law a Coroner must continue an investigation and hold an inquest if:
- the cause of death remains unknown after the post mortem examination and any subsequent tests
- there is cause for the Coroner to suspect that the deceased died a violent or unnatural death; or
- the death occurred in custody or state detention
The Coroner must release the body for burial or cremation as soon as possible. If the Coroner cannot release the body within 28 days then he or she must notify the known next of kin or personal representative of the reasons for the delay (an example might be if there is a dispute about to whom the body should be released).
Procedures may vary where there is a criminal investigation into the death.
