To report a death to the OMI, please contact the OMI Central Office in Albuquerque at 505.272.3053. During business hours, select option 4 followed by option 1, and a staff member will assist you and arrange for an investigator to return your call. If calling after business hours, you will be directed to our after-hours answering service, where you can leave a message for an OMI investigator to call you back and take the report.
Law enforcement officers may view an autopsy if the case is within their jurisdiction regarding a potential crime. Trainee officers must be accompanied by a supervising officer involved in the investigation. No one else, including co-workers, interns, students, friends, or relatives, may accompany law enforcement personnel into the observation suite. Except for Law Enforcement Cadet Classes, officers not directly participating in the investigation of the death are not permitted to attend.
Autopsies begin after morning report, which typically concludes between 8:30 and 9:00 AM, depending on workload. Law enforcement personnel and trainees must show their official agency badge and New Mexico ID to access the autopsy observation. You are required to complete the electronic sign-in form prior to entering OMI. Once you have checked in, OMI personnel will escort you to the designated viewing area. As the OMI is a secure facility, an escort is necessary to guide you through the premises. If you need assistance exiting the building, please call 505.925.6652.
The New Mexico Scientific Laboratories, where the OMI is located, is closed to the public on weekends. To view an autopsy on the weekend, you must call the designated phone number displayed outside the building. OMI personnel will grant you access and guide you through the check-in process.
If the law enforcement agency or investigating officer needs to speak the forensic pathologist (Medical Examiner), they will need to schedule an appointment with the pathologist’s administrative assistant. Please call OMI Administration during business hours at 505.272.5212.
To request an autopsy/postmortem report, please click here to submit your request.
Evidence is collected during the autopsy and will be turned over to the Primary Investigating Agency (Jurisdiction) at the conclusion of the examination once it has dried, cataloged, and properly packaged. The Primary Investigating Agency can either pick up properly packaged evidence in person by making an appointment or the evidence will be sent via UPS/FedEx to the address on file for the Primary Investigating Agency. In all cases a Chain of Custody form will be filled out by OMI. For questions regarding evidence, please call 505-925-0544
To learn the process for obtaining DNA, please contact us at 505-925-0544.