Alcor received emergency notification that a member had passed away, alone, at home. A relative of his had
become concerned with an absence of communication and requested assistance from local police to perform a welfare
check. The family's worst fears were confirmed when authorities found the individual had passed away,
possibly one or two days prior. As the family was aware and supportive of his desire to be cryopreserved,
they notified Alcor. They also informed Alcor that police were taking the body to the medical examiner for
an autopsy to be performed, due to the individual's relatively young age. We attempted to contact the medical examiner's office to explain that he had donated his body to Alcor
and that his release was a time sensitive matter. We asked that he be kept as cold as possible and explained
that he did not want to be autopsied. We were informed that a full autopsy was likely to take place the next
day, so we immediately began working with legal counsel in an attempt to avoid or limit the autopsy, especially
with respect to the individual's brain, and expedite release. Alcor immediately sent Transport Coordinator Aaron Drake to Tampa to begin logistical preparations and
to have a representative on site, if needed. The death was deemed suspicious and, after some consultation
with the medical examiner's office, our legal counsel indicated the only way to avoid the autopsy was to
obtain a court order. We proceeded to file our legal pleading and an expedited hearing was held the next
week. While the legal proceedings took longer than preferred, our member was kept very cold through the
duration. In the end, the medical examiner's office fulfilled the legal obligations of their office by
performing only a limited autopsy that did not include the brain, releasing the patient to Alcor thereafter. SOURCE: Preventing Autopsy for Alcor Member A-2219 (Case Summary) SOURCE: Preventing Autopsy for Alcor Member A-2219 (Case Report)