The definition of the term “coroner” - and the position’s associated duties - differs from state to state. Pursuant to Mississippi statutes (§19-21-103), “coroner” is an elected office. Each candidate for office must, as a minimum, possess a high school graduation diploma or its equivalent, be twenty-one years of age or older, and be a registered voter of the county in which he or she is elected. A coroner has no statutory authority to investigate deaths until he or she has successfully completed the state sponsored death investigation training school.
