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These trends in drug-related deaths are identified by medical examiners and coroners who serve an important role in public health surveillance. Medicolegal death investigators, being first responders, often recognize spates of drug-related deaths in real time. While few jurisdictions are unaffected by the epidemic, some medicolegal death investigators may have less experience detecting fatal opioid overdoses. This review will outline many of the medical, behavioral, and physical indicators of a deadly prescription or illicit opioid overdose. All aspects of a thorough medicolegal death investigation will be discussed, including the proper documentation of the scene and evidence handling. Investigative questions and follow-up procedures will also be reviewed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.23907\/2017.006","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,4,6]],"date-time":"2017-04-06T00:53:48Z","timestamp":1491440028000},"page":"50-59","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Opioid Drug Death Investigations"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Daniel","family":"Morgan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner - Investigations"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,3,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-2017.006","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm655051e1"},{"issue":"9","key":"bibr2-2017.006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1274","DOI":"10.5858\/2006-130-1274-MECAPH","volume":"130","author":"Hanzlick R.","year":"2006","journal-title":"Arch Path & Lab Med."},{"key":"bibr3-2017.006","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMsa1406143"},{"key":"bibr4-2017.006","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/PAF.0b013e31818738b8"},{"key":"bibr5-2017.006","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm6533a2"},{"issue":"5","key":"bibr6-2017.006","first-page":"37","volume":"64","author":"Harvey K.B.","year":"2016","journal-title":"US Attorneys\u2019 Bull."},{"issue":"4","key":"bibr7-2017.006","first-page":"652","volume":"96","author":"Oliver P.","year":"2001","journal-title":"Addiction."},{"key":"bibr8-2017.006","volume-title":"Death investigation: a guide for the scene investigator [Internet].","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr9-2017.006","author":"Miller N.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Orlando Journal Sentinel [Internet]."},{"key":"bibr10-2017.006","unstructured":"Public health law: doctor shopping laws [Internet]. 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Cleveland: Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works: Printing and Reproduction Services; 2015. 131 p."}],"container-title":["Academic Forensic Pathology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.23907\/2017.006","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.23907\/2017.006","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.23907\/2017.006","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T08:52:39Z","timestamp":1777366359000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.23907\/2017.006"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,3]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2017,3]]}},"alternative-id":["10.23907\/2017.006"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.23907\/2017.006","relation":{},"ISSN":["1925-3621","1925-3621"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1925-3621","type":"print"},{"value":"1925-3621","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,3]]}}}