Ben Pursifull (R)

P.O. Box 45
Office Location: 205 East Fourth Street

Salem, MO 65560
573-453-4751

The County Coroner is called when a person dies in any county in which a coroner is required by state law and there are reasonable grounds to believe that such person died as a result of:

  • violence by homicide, suicide, or accident.
  • some unforeseen sudden occurrence and the deceased had not been attended by a physician during the thirty-six hour period preceding the death.
  • any unusual or suspicious manner.
  • any injury or illness while in the custody of the law or while an inmate in a public institution.

Other duties of the office include, but are not limited to:

  • referral of a child’s death (under the age of eighteen) to a child fatality review panel.
  • convening a Coroner's Inquest to have a jury determine the cause of death of a person when, in the opinion of the coroner, it would be in the public interest to do so.
  • performing the duties of sheriff when office is vacant.

Chapter 58 of Missouri Revised Statutes contains a complete description of the duties of the County Coroner.

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