Cook County Medical Examiner

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office (MEO) is the only Medical Examiner system in Illinois with a jurisdiction of approximately 5.2 million people, roughly 45% of Illinois' population. The MEO plays a vital role in the administration of justice and protection of public health. More than 16,000 deaths are reported to the MEO annually. Of these, around 5,600 are accepted for further investigation. The office performs autopsies on approximately half of the cases brought into the Institute. As a result of a 1972 referendum, the Office of the Medical Examiner of Cook County was established December 6, 1976, and the Office of the Coroner was abolished. Robert J. Stein, M.D. was appointed as the first Medical Examiner in 1976 and served until his retirement in 1993. The Cook County Institute of Forensic Medicine, completed in 1983, was renamed the Robert J. Stein Institute of Forensic Medicine in February 1994.