Body Notes: The Coroner's Notepad That Wrote Itself
The Los Angeles Coroner's 'Body Notes' notepad turned the language of autopsy reports into an office supply — and became a cult favorite.
Read more →Cold Cases
Los Angeles' most infamous unsolved murders and mysterious deaths — cases that passed through the Los Angeles Coroner's Office and remain open to this day.
The Black Dahlia: LA's Most Infamous Unsolved Murder
The 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short remains the most notorious unsolved case in Los Angeles history. How the Los Angeles Coroner's Office handled the case that …
Read more →The Coroner's Tote Bag: Carrying Death to the Farmer's Market
A cotton tote bag stamped with the Los Angeles Coroner's seal became an unlikely fashion statement on the streets of Los Angeles.
Read more →The Murder of William Desmond Taylor: Hollywood's First Scandal
In 1922, one of Hollywood's top directors was found shot dead in his bungalow. The investigation exposed secrets that rocked the film industry — and the case …
Read more →Indy the German Shepherd: The Coroner's Cadaver Dog
The Los Angeles Coroner's gift shop sold a plush German Shepherd named Indy — modeled after the real cadaver dogs that helped recover remains across Los …
Read more →The Death of Thelma Todd: Murder, Suicide, or Accident?
When the 'Ice Cream Blonde' was found dead in her car in 1935, the coroner ruled carbon monoxide poisoning. But was it really an accident? The evidence tells a …
Read more →The Crime Scene Towel: Do Not Cross This Beach
The Los Angeles Coroner's crime scene towel turned yellow tape into a beach accessory — and became one of the gift shop's most popular items.
Read more →The Notorious B.I.G.: Drive-By in the City of Angels
On March 9, 1997, Christopher Wallace was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Coroner confirmed the cause of death, but the …
Read more →Marilyn Monroe: The Coroner's Verdict That Nobody Believed
When Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her Brentwood home on August 5, 1962, the Los Angeles Coroner ruled it a probable suicide. Sixty years later, the …
Read more →The Body Outline Beach Towel: How the Coroner's #1 Bestseller Was Born
A white beach towel with a body outline became the Los Angeles Coroner's most iconic product — and an unlikely symbol of Los Angeles itself.
Read more →George Reeves: Did Superman Really Kill Himself?
The man who played Superman was found dead with a gunshot wound in 1959. The coroner ruled suicide, but the evidence left room for doubt — and Hollywood never …
Read more →Natalie Wood: The Drowning That Was Ruled an Accident — Then Wasn't
In 1981, actress Natalie Wood drowned off Catalina Island. The coroner called it an accident. Thirty years later, the case was reopened and the ruling changed.
Read more →Robert F. Kennedy: The Assassination the Coroner Got Right
When RFK was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968, the Los Angeles Coroner's autopsy was meticulous. The ballistic evidence, however, raised questions …
Read more →The Los Angeles Coroner: How a Morgue Became the Most Famous Death Office in America
No coroner's office in America has touched more famous deaths, generated more controversy, or sold more beach towels than the Los Angeles Coroner. Here's how it …
Read more →After the Fire: How the LA Coroner Recovers and Identifies Wildfire Victims
When wildfires sweep through Los Angeles County, the coroner's office faces its most difficult identification challenge — recovering and naming the dead from …
Read more →Epidemics of the Dead: The LA Coroner During the AIDS Crisis and Crack Epidemic
The AIDS crisis and crack epidemic hit Los Angeles simultaneously in the 1980s — and the coroner's office was the institution that counted the dead when no one …
Read more →The Unclaimed Dead: Los Angeles and the Largest Potter's Field in America
Los Angeles County buries more unclaimed dead than almost any jurisdiction in the country — a grim intersection of homelessness, poverty, and isolation in …
Read more →Thomas Noguchi: The Full Story of LA's Coroner to the Stars
Thomas Noguchi autopsied Marilyn Monroe, Robert Kennedy, and Sharon Tate — but his legacy extends far beyond celebrity cases to forensic innovations that …
Read more →The Building on Mission Road: How a Morgue Became a Landmark
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office on North Mission Road was never meant to be a tourist attraction — but its distinctive architecture and macabre gift shop made …
Read more →Coroner vs. Medical Examiner: Why It Matters How We Investigate Death
Elected coroner or appointed medical examiner? The distinction shapes how death investigations are conducted — and Los Angeles has been at the center of this …
Read more →Open Files: Why Autopsy Reports Are Public Record in California
California is one of the few states where autopsy reports are public record — a transparency policy that has fueled true-crime research, journalism, and …
Read more →When Disaster Strikes: The LA Coroner and Mass Casualty Events
Earthquakes, wildfires, plane crashes, and mass shootings — the Los Angeles Coroner's Office has been tested by some of the worst mass casualty events in …
Read more →Nobody Came: The Crisis of Unclaimed Remains in Los Angeles
Every year, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office handles over a thousand bodies that nobody claims — a crisis that reveals the isolation and anonymity hidden …
Read more →First on Scene: The Coroner's Investigators Who Go Where Death Happens
Before the autopsy, before the toxicology, the LA Coroner's investigators arrive at the scene — apartments, alleys, freeways, and hillsides — to begin piecing …
Read more →Naming the Unknown: How the LA Coroner Identifies the Dead
DNA, dental records, fingerprints, and forensic anthropology — the Los Angeles Coroner's Office uses every available tool to identify remains that arrive …
Read more →Blood Don't Lie: Inside the LA Coroner's Toxicology Lab
The Los Angeles Coroner's toxicology laboratory analyzes blood, tissue, and fluid samples from thousands of death investigations each year — the silent science …
Read more →Cause and Manner: How the LA Coroner Determines Why People Die
Death certificates issued by the Los Angeles Coroner's Office carry enormous legal weight. The distinction between cause and manner of death can determine …
Read more →Nineteen Thousand Autopsies a Year: Inside the LA Coroner's Caseload
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office handles roughly 19,000 death investigations annually — making it one of the busiest forensic operations in the Western …
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