It can become problematic when first responders are tasked with determining a cause of death at the scene or stating if there were suspicious circumstances surrounding a case. Pathologists are rarely called to help out in this process, although they are trained to do precisely that.
Pathologists on the other hand lament a general lack of staff members, which prevents them from assisting at the scene of accidents or murders. They therefore propose that preliminary death certificates could be signed, before a body is transported to the National Laboratory for further examination. Germany for instance already operates with this practice.
The issue become more notable following the death of an Irish woman in Luxembourg in 2019. Responders at the scene determined that it was suicide, which the victim's brothers doubted. They wanted clarity and desired that an autopsy be done. Unfortunately, it took the prosecutor's office two months to process and approve the request. At the time, the woman's body had already been cremated.
In Luxembourg, no detailed statistics on cases involving "suspicious circumstances" are being kept. However, such incidents are usually automatically followed by an autopsy of the body.
