What this office does: The coroner investigates certain deaths, determines the need for an autopsy, and handles legally required death-investigation duties, including manner of death (homicide, suicide, natural…). Wyoming law does not require any medical background to run for coroner. The only statutory requirement is that the elected coroner must complete a basic coroner course within one year of assuming office, plus ongoing continuing education. They serve a 4-year term.
Why it matters: Families need professionalism, accuracy, and dignity in some of the hardest moments they will ever face. The office also affects public-health and public-safety records in cases involving suspicious, unattended, or otherwise reportable deaths.