Institute of Forensic Sciences

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences provides medical examiner and crime laboratory services for Harris County. This article explains the Institute’s responsibilities, how families can check a medical examiner case, how to request an autopsy report, how unidentified decedent cases are handled, and how authorized agencies submit evidence for laboratory testing. It also clarifies which records the Institute does and does not issue, what information users should prepare, and which common mistakes can delay a request or submission.

Institute Services and Responsibilities

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences website serves as the central source for information about the county’s medical examiner and forensic laboratory operations. The Institute is a science-based, independent county operation with two distinct service areas: Medical Examiner Services and Crime Laboratory Services.

Medical Examiner Services investigates sudden and unexpected deaths and deaths resulting from physical or chemical injury. Its responsibility is to determine the cause and manner of death while documenting and preserving evidence. Depending on the circumstances, an investigation may involve forensic investigators, forensic pathologists, morgue personnel, anthropologists, imaging specialists, histology staff, toxicologists, and other forensic professionals.

Crime Laboratory Services analyzes evidence submitted by authorized law enforcement agencies. Its five principal disciplines are Drug Chemistry, Firearms Identification, Forensic Genetics, Forensic Toxicology, and Trace Evidence. The laboratory also performs testing requested by the Institute’s medical examiner service, including testing that may assist with determining a cause of death or identifying human remains.

These two services work together but should not be confused. A family seeking information about a deceased person generally needs Medical Examiner Services, the case-status system, Family Assistance, or Administrative Services. A law enforcement agency seeking analysis of seized drugs, firearms, DNA, toxicology specimens, or gunshot residue generally needs Crime Laboratory Services and the evidence-submission process.

Medical Examiner Jurisdiction

The Institute investigates deaths that fall within medical examiner jurisdiction under Texas law. These include deaths caused by physical or chemical injury, deaths that are sudden or unexpected, and other reportable deaths requiring an official inquiry into the cause and manner of death.

The Institute’s Medical Examiner Services information explains that an examination may consist of an external examination or a complete autopsy. The medical examiner determines which examination is appropriate after reviewing the known circumstances, medical history, investigative findings, and evidentiary needs of the case.

An autopsy is not automatically performed in every case. In some cases, the cause and manner of death can be determined through an external examination, medical records, scene findings, and information gathered from law enforcement, family members, or medical personnel. The medical examiner retains final discretion over whether an autopsy is required.

When an autopsy is performed, it includes an external and internal examination. The Institute may retain organs, tissue, body fluids, or other samples when examination or testing is necessary. Possible additional studies include toxicology, histology, microbiology, DNA analysis, or examination of physical evidence. Materials retained for examination are handled and disposed of according to applicable health and safety procedures after the necessary work is completed.

Cause and Manner Findings

The cause of death describes the disease, injury, or condition responsible for the death. The manner of death classifies the circumstances into an established category, such as natural, accident, homicide, suicide, or undetermined.

A case may initially be recorded as pending when laboratory testing, medical records, investigative information, or another specialized study is still needed. A pending classification is temporary. Once the medical examiner has enough information to reach a determination, the medical portion of the death certificate can be amended through the appropriate state process.

There is no single completion period for every pending case. Some cases may require several weeks, while complex cases may remain pending for many months. Toxicology, specialized laboratory analysis, consultation, or additional investigative information can affect the time required.

Death Certificates and Autopsy Reports

A death certificate and an autopsy report are different records. The Institute completes the medical portion of a death certificate, including the cause and manner of death. The funeral home completes the demographic portion and files the completed certificate with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The Institute does not issue certified death certificates directly to families. A family may obtain a death certificate through its selected funeral home or the local registrar responsible for the area where the death occurred.

An autopsy report is the Institute’s medical examination report. It documents findings from the examination and related testing. The report may not be complete at the same time the decedent is released to a funeral home, particularly when toxicology, histology, or another study remains pending.

Steps for Family Members

The legal next of kin should select a funeral home and tell the funeral director that the death is being handled by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. The funeral director assists with the release process, obtaining personal property, and completing the funeral-home portion of the death certificate.

A release authorization signed by the legal next of kin is required before the Institute can release the decedent to the selected funeral home. Families generally do not retrieve a decedent or personal property directly from the Institute. Personal property is released through the funeral home after the required authorization has been provided.

The Institute does not maintain public viewing facilities. Viewing arrangements must be made with the funeral home or crematory handling the final disposition. When formal identification is required, an Institute representative contacts the next of kin to discuss the appropriate identification method and gather necessary information.

Families may review the Institute’s Family Assistance service for guidance about Institute procedures and referrals to available community resources. The Family Assistance Coordinator serves families whose loved one’s death falls under medical examiner jurisdiction and may provide information about the process, grief-related support, burial assistance, financial assistance, or other services described by the Institute.

Autopsy Preferences

A family member may contact the Institute to express a preference concerning an autopsy. A request that an autopsy be performed or not be performed will be communicated to the medical examiner. However, the pathologist makes the final decision based on the circumstances of the case, the Institute’s legal responsibilities, and the need to determine cause and manner of death or preserve evidence.

A family seeking to object to an autopsy should contact the Institute as soon as possible. Although the Institute attempts to accommodate a family’s preference when circumstances allow, an autopsy may still be required.

Medical Examiner Case Status

The Institute’s online Medical Examiner Case Status tool provides basic information for cases dating back 24 months. Users must choose the correct type of search based on the information available to them.

Case Number Search

The case-number option is intended for users who have a case number assigned by the Institute. An Institute medical examiner case number may be described as an ML or OC number. It should not be confused with a police offense number, a court case number, a jail booking number, or a crime laboratory submission number.

Enter the Institute case number in the format provided on Institute documentation. Typing an unrelated agency number may produce no result even when the person has an active medical examiner case.

Advanced Name Search

Users who do not have an Institute case number may select the advanced search. This option allows a search using the decedent’s name, a date range, and gender. Search information should be entered as accurately as possible.

Common search problems include misspelled names, using a nickname instead of the recorded legal name, selecting a date range that does not include the death, or searching for a case older than the tool’s 24-month coverage period. The public status page provides basic case information and is not a substitute for the complete autopsy report or other official records.

Family members who need additional assistance may contact the Family Liaison Team. Media representatives must use the Institute’s Public Information Officer because case information intended for publication must be confirmed.

Requesting an Autopsy Report

A completed autopsy report may be requested from the Institute during regular weekday service hours, excluding Harris County holidays. The official autopsy report request instructions allow requests by email or postal mail.

A request should include enough information to identify both the case and the requester. Providing incomplete information can require additional correspondence before Administrative Services can locate and process the request.

Decedent Information

The Institute case number, including an ML or OC number when available
The full name of the deceased
The date of death
The county where the death occurred

Requester Information

The requester’s full name
A mailing address
A telephone number
An email address

A noncertified electronic report can be sent as a PDF without charge. A printed, certified copy costs $0.10 per page. A requester should not send payment until the Institute confirms that the report is complete and ready.

Payment for a certified copy may be made by check, money order, or an accepted credit card. Accepted credit cards include Discover, Mastercard, Visa, and American Express. The Institute does not accept personal credit card information by telephone, email, or fax.

A state-issued photo identification is required for a transaction using a personal credit card. Debit-only cards are not accepted unless they can be processed as credit without a personal identification number. Gift cards, stored-value cards, and cards displaying a fixed dollar value or stating that they are nonreloadable are not accepted.

Business or corporate cards must identify the authorized user on the card. When the presenter’s name does not appear on the card, the Institute requires documentation showing that the person is authorized to use it. The Institute does not charge a credit card usage fee and does not impose a minimum purchase amount.

Unidentified and Missing Persons

The Institute’s Identification Unit works to establish the identity of deceased individuals received without a confirmed identity. The process may involve fingerprints, dental X-rays, skeletal X-rays, DNA comparison, anthropology, personal effects, scars, tattoos, medical information, and other identifying features.

A person may be temporarily recorded as unknown or under a tentative name while the Identification Unit works with law enforcement and other authorized resources. Scientific identification is required when the decedent cannot be visually identified or is a homicide victim. Tentatively identified decedents and homicide victims must be scientifically identified before release, subject to the Institute’s stated procedures for limited presumptive identification circumstances.

The Institute’s unidentified persons information explains how descriptions and case information may be used to compare a missing person with unidentified decedents. Descriptions may include estimated age, sex, race, stature, scars, marks, tattoos, clothing, personal belongings, and findings from pathologic, anthropologic, or dental examinations.

Estimates should not be treated as exact limits. A small difference between a missing person’s known age or physical characteristics and an estimated description should not automatically eliminate a possible match.

The Identification Unit can compare information about a missing individual with unidentified decedents received by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. It cannot initiate a regional or national missing-person search. A person reporting a missing loved one must contact a law enforcement agency because only law enforcement can initiate the broader search process.

Crime Laboratory Functions

The Institute’s Crime Laboratory Services division performs forensic testing for law enforcement agencies in Harris County and for the Institute’s Forensic Pathology Service. Its disciplines have different evidence requirements, analytical methods, and reporting procedures.

Drug Chemistry

The Drug Chemistry Laboratory analyzes suspected controlled substances submitted by law enforcement. Evidence may include commonly encountered drugs, pharmaceutical preparations, synthetic opioids, synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic cathinones, or clandestinely manufactured tablets made to resemble legitimate medication.

The laboratory reports analytical findings for use in the Harris County criminal justice system. It does not accept evidence directly from private individuals.

Firearms Identification

The Firearms Laboratory examines firearms, bullets, cartridge cases, and related evidence. Examiners may compare markings on recovered bullets or cartridge cases with test fires from a submitted firearm. When no firearm is submitted, evidence may be compared to determine whether components were fired from the same unknown firearm.

Other services include serial-number restoration, distance determinations involving clothing, and participation in ballistic-image comparison systems that may identify possible links between cases. A possible automated lead may require microscopic confirmation before it becomes a confirmed laboratory conclusion.

Forensic Genetics

The Forensic Genetics Laboratory performs serological testing and DNA analysis for felony investigations. It may test evidence associated with homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, aggravated assaults, thefts, burglaries, and other qualifying cases.

The laboratory may screen evidence for blood, semen, or other biological material before selecting samples for DNA analysis. DNA profiles from evidence can be compared with known reference samples. Eligible profiles may also be uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System according to applicable standards and requirements.

Forensic Toxicology

The Forensic Toxicology Laboratory provides testing for medical examiner investigations, driving-while-intoxicated cases, and drug-facilitated sexual assault investigations. Testing may involve alcohol analysis, drug screening, confirmation, and measurement of drugs or metabolites.

The exact testing performed depends on the case type, the customer’s request, and laboratory protocol. In suspected DWI cases, specimens are first tested for alcohol. When the blood alcohol concentration is at least 0.100 g/100 mL, additional drug testing is generally not performed unless specifically requested. Fatal DWI cases are tested for drugs regardless of the alcohol result.

Trace Evidence

The Trace Evidence Laboratory provides gunshot residue analysis. The laboratory accepts gunshot residue collection stubs for this analysis. Swabs, clothing, and other items are not accepted as substitutes and may be returned to the submitting agency.

Evidence Submission Rules

Evidence submission is an agency process rather than a public walk-in service. The Crime Laboratory serves law enforcement agencies within Harris County. An agency outside Harris County must obtain approval before submitting evidence.

The Institute’s Evidence Submission and Testing instructions provide packaging, labeling, form, location, and acceptance requirements. Evidence must be submitted in person from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. After-hours evidence submission has been discontinued, and the receiving locations are closed on county holidays.

Submission Form Requirements

A completed Evidence Submission Form must accompany each submission. The form should remain separate from the evidence container rather than being attached to it. Inaccurate, incomplete, or illegible forms can delay processing.

Agency personnel should verify the agency name, agency case or offense number, requested analysis, item descriptions, and other required fields before arrival. A laboratory submission is not identified solely by the name of a defendant or victim.

Packaging and Sealing

Packaging requirements depend on the evidence type. Evidence seals generally must be tamper-evident and marked so that the submitter’s initials cross both the tape and the package. Packages must identify the submitting agency and the relevant case or offense number.

DNA swabs collected from different areas should be placed in separate swab boxes and labeled with the collection location and case number.

Wet biological evidence must be dried before permanent packaging. Temporary plastic packaging may be used for transport only when the outer package clearly identifies the item as wet.

Drug evidence must be placed in a sealed evidence bag, envelope, box, or another suitable evidence container.

Syringes and other sharp items require sealed, puncture-resistant plastic containers.

Liquid drug evidence must be enclosed in a leak-proof container.

Firearms are accepted only in clear plastic bags and must be rendered safe with a cable or zip tie through the action.

Ammunition must be packaged separately from a firearm.

Toxicology specimen containers must be leak-proof, sealed with evidence tape, and supported by an established chain of custody.

Separate Submission Locations

Non-DNA evidence is submitted to the Institute’s Evidence Reception at its Old Spanish Trail facility. Packaged DNA evidence is submitted to the Forensic Genetics Laboratory at the John P. McGovern Campus of the Texas Medical Center. Taking DNA evidence to the non-DNA reception point, arriving outside submission hours, or failing to include the completed form can delay acceptance.

DNA Case Limits

The Forensic Genetics Laboratory accepts felony evidence and limits the initial number of samples based on the offense category. Evidence from misdemeanor cases is not accepted for DNA testing.

Sexual assault kit items are processed before clothing and other evidence.

Homicide cases are initially limited to 10 items selected by the investigator or District Attorney’s Office.

Other crimes against persons are initially limited to five selected items.

Property-crime analysis is initially limited to three selected items.

Known reference samples do not count against the initial item limit.

Laboratory Turnaround Information

The Institute publishes crime laboratory performance information, but the displayed turnaround times describe the period from evidence submission to report completion. They are not guarantees for an individual case, and they do not represent only the time spent conducting an analytical test.

Year-to-date figures reported as of May 31, 2026, included average turnaround times of 12 days for jail-priority seized-drug cases, 17 days for bond cases, and 16 days for no-arrest drug cases. Firearms comparison cases averaged 37 days, while non-comparison firearms cases averaged six days.

Reported DNA averages were 75 days for sexual assault cases and 87 days for homicide cases. DWI alcohol toxicology cases averaged 16 days, while combined alcohol-and-drug DWI cases averaged 47 days. Gunshot residue cases averaged 38 days.

These figures may help agencies understand general laboratory workload, but a specific case may require more or less time based on the evidence, requested testing, case priority, scientific findings, quality review, or need for additional information.

Common Request and Submission Errors

Many avoidable problems result from using the wrong office, system, identifying number, or record request procedure. Before contacting the Institute, determine whether the request concerns a medical examiner case, an autopsy report, a death certificate, an unidentified person, or law enforcement evidence testing.

Do not use a police offense number, booking number, or court number as an Institute medical examiner case number.

Do not request a death certificate from the Institute. Use the selected funeral home or the appropriate local registrar.

Do not send payment for a certified autopsy report until Administrative Services confirms that the report is complete and ready.

Do not send credit card information by email, fax, or telephone.

Do not assume a pending cause of death has a fixed completion date.

Do not report a missing person only to the Identification Unit. A missing-person report must be made to law enforcement.

Do not bring private evidence to the Crime Laboratory. Evidence submissions are handled through authorized agencies.

Do not attach an Evidence Submission Form to an evidence package.

Do not submit firearms outside the stated weekday submission hours or without required safety preparation.

Do not take DNA specimens to the non-DNA Evidence Reception location.

For questions that cannot be resolved through the relevant service page, users may consult the Institute’s official contact information. Telephone calls are answered during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Harris County holidays.

Relevant Offices

Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas 77054
(832) 927-5000

Administrative Services
1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas 77054
(832) 927-5004

Family Liaison Team
1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas 77054
(832) 927-5006

Family Assistance Coordinator
1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas 77054
(832) 927-5007

Evidence Reception
1861 Old Spanish Trail, Houston, Texas 77054
(832) 927-5289

Forensic Genetics Laboratory
2450 Holcombe Boulevard, Suite 7, Houston, Texas 77021
(832) 927-5300

Institute of Forensic Sciences FAQs

Does the family have to pay for an autopsy?

No. The Institute does not charge the public for an autopsy performed as part of a medical examiner investigation. The medical examiner decides whether an autopsy is necessary after reviewing the circumstances, medical history, investigative findings, and applicable legal duties. Funeral, burial, cremation, death certificate, and other private service costs are separate and may still apply.

Can a pending death certificate be used for benefits?

A death certificate marked “pending” remains legal proof of death. An insurance company, bank, pension administrator, or other institution may accept it for a claim or account matter, but acceptance depends on that organization’s policies and the circumstances of the case. After the cause and manner of death are determined, the medical examiner files an amendment with the state registrar. Families can then request an updated certified certificate through the funeral home or the appropriate vital records office.

How soon can a funeral home receive the body?

Most decedents are examined and released within approximately 24 hours, according to the Institute’s official answers to frequently asked questions. Certain cases may require up to 72 hours or longer when identification, specialized examinations, evidence collection, or other case-specific work must be completed. The legal next of kin should select a funeral home promptly because the funeral director handles the release paperwork and transportation arrangements.

Are medical examiner autopsies limited to one body area?

When the medical examiner determines that an autopsy is required, the Institute performs a complete examination rather than a limited “chest only” or “head only” procedure commonly associated with some hospital examinations. The specific testing and evidence collection still depend on the questions raised by the case. Additional work may include toxicology, microscopic tissue examination, microbiology, DNA testing, or recovery of physical evidence.

Can students visit or apply for forensic training?

The Institute provides educational information through its Learning Center and offers certain specialized training opportunities. Availability, qualifications, application periods, and program requirements vary by discipline. Students should review the official Institute website for current postings rather than assuming that general tours, job shadowing, internships, or laboratory access are available to the public.