When someone passes away, there’s a record of it. And when you know where to look, you can find these records. That said, finding out a person has died is hard if you don’t know where to look, let alone finding records associated with their death, like where they’re buried.
The good news is that we have your back in this guide. So, how do you find a person who passed away? Read our guide to uncover the process, along with any limitations you’ll encounter along the way.
Can You Find a Person Who Passed Away?
Yes and no. You should be able to figure out where someone was buried, and there may be public records associated with their probate process (if they had a will that went through probate).
However, you won’t be able to find them up and walking around, of course. Therefore, when we say that you can find someone who passed away, we’re referring to death records and other public records associated with them and their death.
Are Death Records Public?
Yes and no. You shouldn’t have any issues finding out if someone is dead. In other words, there’s a way to determine that someone is no longer with us, and you don’t have to ask people uncomfortable questions to find those answers.
You may also be able to view records associated with a will, especially if something went through the probate process. That said, you might not be able to view a death certificate or other official death records right away.
How Do You Find a Person Who Passed Away? The Best Tools
When you want to find a person who passed away, you have a few solid options. The best one, in our opinion, is CheckPeople, but you can also leverage online search engines or visit county and state offices.
Learn more about each of these options below.
1. CheckPeople
First and foremost, it’s a good idea to leverage CheckPeople’s public record search. With this tool, if something is available to the public, you should have no issue finding it. This applies to death records, information about a last will and testament, and much more.
All you need to leverage CheckPeople is someone’s first and last name, so getting started is a breeze. Simply enter their information into the tool and watch CheckPeople do the rest.
While you can find some information right away, once you open the full report, you can view all available public records in one comprehensive full report.
2. Search Engines
Another great way to find someone who passed away is to leverage Google or another similar search engine, like Bing or DuckDuckGo. These search engines will comb through the internet for you until a match is found.
The only drawback is that you might have to comb through lots of results until you find a death record. Also, if there was no probate, will, or obituary, you might not have any luck by simply entering their first and last name.
Therefore, we only recommend going this route if you’re searching for famous people with search engines.
3. Genealogical & Social Security Databases
There are databases that you can search through that might reveal information about someone who passed away. Some are better than others, and the one you should choose varies based on your needs.
For example, the U.S. Social Security Death Index can help you determine when someone died; this is great if you want to pinpoint the date.
4. Office of Vital Records
If you need an official death certificate, you may need to contact your state’s office of vital records. Depending on the state, its name, functions, and rules may change, so keep this in mind before you begin.
These offices house death records, so you should be able to source the certificate if you have a good reason. However, you may only be able to do so if you’re a member of the family. In some states, the records may become available after a specific amount of time, usually a few decades.
How Do You Find a Person Who Passed Away?
So, how do you find a person who passed away? Well, more often than not, it comes down to using the right tools. If you just want to know if someone has passed away, Google and other search engines should suffice.
On the other hand, if you want to learn more about how they died, the probate process, or a death certificate, you should opt for CheckPeople or state resources.
