How Do You Find a Person Who Passed Away?

Brandon Way - June 23, 2024

Finding information about a person who has passed away can be difficult. However, there are a number of methods you can use to make it easier. For example, you can look at online obituaries, which generally provide detailed information about the person’s life, family, and death.

You can also use a reverse people lookup tool to find someone’s death record along with a lot of other information such as their marriage and criminal records, social media handles, and address.

In this article, we’ll explain how to find a person who passed away using five easy methods.

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How You Can Find Out if a Person Has Passed Away

If you know where to look, then finding out if someone has passed away can be quite simple. Here are five methods we recommend using:

1. Use a Reverse People Lookup Tool

A reverse people lookup tool will allow you to find detailed information about any person just by typing their name into the search engine. These tools collect data from public records, including birth and death certificates, marriage and divorce records, criminal records, and personal information.

Once you type the name of the person in the search engine, it’ll ask you for some additional details like their age and address. It’s not necessary to provide these details, but they can help narrow down the search results and make sure you find the correct person more quickly.

The tool then uses this information to scan public records and online databases. This entire process usually takes only a minute or two. Once it’s done searching for information, it’ll generate a report which contains all the information it could find.

Other than a person’s death record, you can expect to find details such as their birthdate, addresses they’ve lived at, family members, educational background, employment history, and sometimes even their social media profiles.

While most of these tools are free, some may ask for a one-time fee.

2. Check Online Obituaries or Newspapers

Depending on where you are, looking up online obituaries can be a simple way to find information about someone who has passed away. These obituaries are usually found on local newspaper websites, funeral home sites, or online obituary databases. They often include details like the person’s full name, birth and death dates, and sometimes information about their memorial services.

Note, however, that you might not be able to find anything if you live in a small town that doesn’t post obituaries online. In that case, you would have to check local newspapers, where obituaries are often published in their print editions.

Another easy way to find out if someone has passed away is to check their social media profile. You can often see comments and memories from friends and family on their recent posts or photos, which can give you a sense of what happened and more about their lives.

You don’t necessarily have to look for their social media profile. Their friends or family members might have posted stories on Instagram or shared some information about the deceased on other social media platforms. This can be helpful if the person who has passed away has their profile set to private.

To find someone’s social media profile, you can either type their name in Google along with the name of the platform where you want to find them or use a reverse people lookup tool to find their social media handles.

You can also try reaching out to their friends or family members on social media. They may have information about the person’s passing or details surrounding their death. However, make sure you respect their boundaries and don’t forget to be respectful when asking for information. Many people may not feel comfortable speaking with a stranger while they are grieving.

4. Contact the Vital Records Office

In some states, death records become publicly available 25 years after the death of the person. Once they’re in public records, you can contact your state’s vital records office, and they’ll send you a copy. You might need to fill out a form and pay a small fee, but it’s a straightforward way to get the information you need. For example, in Kentucky, the fee is $6 per copy.

If they’re not publicly available and you’re not related to the person who died, then the vital records office may ask you for some information before giving you access to the death certificate, such as your relationship to the deceased and the reason for your request.

You can request a person’s death certificate online, in person, or by mail.

5. Search on Google

While not as efficient as the other four methods, doing a Google search can still provide useful information. By entering the person’s name along with words like “obituary” or “death certificate,” you might find news articles, online obituaries, or other public records that mention their passing.

However, this method can take time and might require sifting through multiple search results to find relevant information. You may need to try different variations of the person’s name and include additional details, like their location, to narrow down the search results.

We recommend using Google search operators to narrow down the results. For example, you can use quotation marks around the person’s name to search for exact matches.

It’s Not Always Easy to Find out How a Person Died

Finding out whether a person has passed away is easy, but getting information on the cause of death can be more challenging. You can use a reverse people lookup tool or check online obituaries to find their death certificates or the date of death but to find out the exact cause of their death, you would have to talk to their friends or family members.

A reverse people lookup tool will give you access to tons of information about the person, including their social media handles and details about their relatives. You can check their social media profiles to see if anyone has posted anything about their passing, or you can send a message to their friends or family members directly.

Just remember to be respectful and sensitive when reaching out to friends or family members during this difficult time.