Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice

Change law to mean that if an adult discovers a dead body it must be reported

Closed 1,606 signatures

What the petition asks

At the moment, if a person finds the body of someone deceased, they are under no obligation to report this to the police. This means a body could be left for days, weeks etc. and remain undiscovered.
I think this should already be law, and even if it’s in a home environment this does not need to be reported as per the law right now.

Timeline

5 Jan 2021 Petition opened for signatures
5 Jul 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 1,606
Status Closed
Department Ministry of Justice
Opened 5 Jan 2021
Closed 5 Jul 2021

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.