Reportable Deaths

WI Statute 979.01 lists the types of deaths that must be reported, which include the following:

• Deaths with unexplained, unusual, or suspicious circumstances
• Homicides
• Suicides
• Accidents, regardless of whether the injury is the primary cause of death
  • There is no specified time limit on when injury occurred (for example, quadriplegia resulting from an injury many years prior)
  • Injuries may include:
    • Deaths associated with a diagnostic, anesthetic, or therapeutic procedure
    • Deaths of individuals with a history of falls, trauma or injuries
    • Deaths occurring from hypothermia or hyperthermia
    • Deaths resulting from animal or insect bite
• Maternal deaths following an abortion
• Sudden or unexplained death of a child under the age of 2 years (WI 979.03) 
• Poisonings, whether homicidal, suicidal, or accidental
• Deaths while under the custody of a law enforcement agency, state or federal department of corrections, or involving actions of a law enforcement officer
• Deaths of any individual occurring within 24 hours following presentation at or admission to a hospital or other facility (including emergency department deaths)
• When the physician caring for the decedent refuses to sign the death certificate
• When a physician is not available to certify the death in the required timeframe (requirement is within 6 days of pronouncement)

We will accept reports in circumstances not specifically outlined in WI 979.01, including but not limited to:

• Discovery of unidentified human remains or bones found outside a designated burial site
• Situations involving agency-specific protocols, ambiguities, or other uncertainties