Where do they take the body

Where? To the morgue, or whatever is being used as a morgue where they are. (Out here in the sticks, it's to the main funeral home in town.)

The second question is an official "maybe". Are you talking about somebody found out in a park somewhere, or found at home, in their favorite chair, with their own gun in their hand? If the latter, we looked for ID. (It was in his wallet, in his pants pocket, and there was enough of his face left to say, "Yup. That was him.")

Although, thinking back on it. It would be a cool story idea to have him not seen by the family until the viewing, you know, after the funeral home staff had done enough magic to allow for an open casket. Then have his brother say, "That ain't him."

Someone close to my in-laws, God rest her, did not commit suicide, but she died at home. I live in Australia, so things may be different O/S, but I imagine they would be generally similar.

First of all, the paramedics were called. When they got there and confirmed there was nothing that could be done for her, then the paramedics contacted the police.

The police arrived and had a look around, I'm supposing to rule out any foul play. There was obviously none of that. Then a doctor was required to sign the death certificate and give a cause of death.

After that, the family was free to contact whichever funeral home they wanted to take the body.

Hope this helps a little.

Suicide is a crime. A murder has been committed, albeit the murderer is apparently dead. Most American cities require an autopsy be performed on suicide victims, therefore, the bodies are usually taken to whatever is deemed the "official" morgue or in extremely rural areas, they are shipped to the nearest location that offers a medical examiner. Bodies are not released to the family until the medical examiner officially determines the cause of death as suicide.

From personal experience...

Many factors depend on who finds the body. If it's a stranger, the body goes to the morgue. Family is found and notified. CoD (cause of death) is confirmed by the medical examiner. Visual ID is requested by some states/jurisdictions.

If found by a family member, police are called and sometimes the ME, if it's a small town. (Some decades ago, the GP of our town was also the ME). The body may either go for an autopsy to determine extenuating causes: drugs or alcohol taken before hanging or taken before CO poisoning, shooting, etc., to distinguish between accidental death and planned, or right to the local funeral parlor if there's no disagreement as to CoD.

Also from unfortunate personal experience - if a family member finds the deceased, the police are called in and if it is easily determined that it was self-inflicted, then the body goes to the funeral home.

This is the kind of thing that has a lot of leeway, differences in how the suicide was performed, who found the body, local laws, etc.

From my own experience, I don't remember any cops showing up, just paramedics who did a check and then asked which funeral home should pick up the body. I had no idea (duh-- I'd never dealt with something like that before) and selected one from some options they gave me. Then the body was taken away in a funeral home vehicle (I suppose to a morgue), an autopsy was performed, and after the results were back, it was okay to make arrangements for funeral/burial/cremation or whatever I wanted.

If cops ever factored into the picture, I don't remember, but I was 21 and pretty shaken up, so I can't say for sure that other folks didn't come around.