Pennsylvania coroners refuse to release autopsy reports – and that hinders research on deaths in custody

Coroners in counties across Pennsylvania are ignoring rules that require them to make autopsy reports accessible to the public. Carla Gottgens/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Independent journalist Derek Sherwood submitted a records request in Centre County, Pennsylvania, in January 2026. He requested an autopsy report related to a 1987 cold case that he was researching for a book project. After Coroner Scott Sayers denied the request, Sherwood successfully appealed to the Office of Open Records, or OOR, a state agency responsible for adjudicating Right-To-Know Law disputes.

But Sayers still refused to release the report.