Death certificates are of crucial importance for the living, experts say.
But in North Carolina, family members often cannot receive these documents for many months — sometimes more than a year — because of delays in completing state autopsy reports.
Without a death certificate, survivors cannot access insurance and other assets they inherit, which can lead to some losing their homes to foreclosure, says TJ Caune, a Charlotte attorney who practices probate and estate matters.
“If they don’t have an income and you don’t have access to the bank account and the money from an insurance policy, they could basically not have access to all of their money for a year,” Caune said. “In that scenario, they could become homeless.”
Death certificates, which typically arrive after forensic investigations are complete, are critical for myriad other reasons, Caune and other experts say. Survivors typically need them to:
▪ Transfer property such as cars and homes to surviving family members.
▪ Selling a house that they are supposed to inherit.
▪ Receive survivor benefits from a pension or social security.
▪ Get permission from a cell phone manufacturer to access photos, videos, and any other information stored on the deceased person’s smartphone.
▪ File a wrongful death lawsuit.
Larry Price’s disabled 39-year-old daughter Jessica died more than 15 months ago, but he is still waiting for the inquest to conclude.
Why Jessica died remains a mystery. According to a 911 call, she was pulled from a bathtub in an East Raleigh row house owned by her brother, The News & Observer reported.
Price needs Jessica’s death certificate for reasons other than just collecting the life insurance. He is considering filing a wrongful death lawsuit in her case, but he needs the death certificate to start the proceedings, he said.
But the clock is ticking. In most cases, the statute of limitations for filing a wrongful death lawsuit in North Carolina is two years from the date of death.
And he wants fundamental answers.
“I’m in the dark,” Price said.
