The Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is in receipt of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (the "Act"). Your request has been received in this office on 8/5/2023 and given the reference number R003358-080523 for tracking purposes. Records Requested: To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the IIllinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140), I hereby request the following records within the possession of Cook County Medical Examiner:

All records within the possession of Cook County Medical Examiner, irrespective of timeframe, and with respect to this criteria:
1. All records related to Jarad Anthony Higgins, better known as Juice WRLD (a rapper), related to his death on December 8th, 2019 in Oak Lawn, IL. It is noted that Cook County Medical Examiner conducted his autopsy, on or about the time of his death.
2. All records related to Jarad Anthony Higgins possessed by the Cook County Medical Examine before his death (if any) as well as all records after his death.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. I request that any records maintained in an electronic format be provided in that same format (such as a PDF, CSV, or XLS file), to avoid copying costs.

If you deny any part of this request, please cite each specific exemption you think justifies your refusal to release the information and notify me of appeal procedures available under the law.

If you have any questions or concerns, or if I can provide any clarification that so as to focus, clarify, or narrow this request, please do not hesitate to contact me

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statue requires.
Sincerely,

Bailey Pillon

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Your request will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) to locate the information you seek and to determine the volume and any costs associated with satisfying your request. You will be contacted about the availability and/or provided with copies of the records in question.
You can monitor the progress of your request at the link below and you'll receive an email when your request has been completed.
Thank you,
Rachel

--- Please respond above this line ---

August 14, 2023
RE: FOIA # R003358-080523
Dear Ms. Pillon,
The Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is in receipt of your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act (the "Act").
On August 05, 2023, we received your request for the following:
To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the IIllinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140), I hereby request the following records within the possession of Cook County Medical Examiner:

All records within the possession of Cook County Medical Examiner, irrespective of timeframe, and with respect to this criteria:
1. All records related to Jarad Anthony Higgins, better known as Juice WRLD (a rapper), related to his death on December 8th, 2019 in Oak Lawn, IL. It is noted that Cook County Medical Examiner conducted his autopsy, on or about the time of his death.
2. All records related to Jarad Anthony Higgins possessed by the Cook County Medical Examine before his death (if any) as well as all records after his death.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. I request that any records maintained in an electronic format be provided in that same format (such as a PDF, CSV, or XLS file), to avoid copying costs.

If you deny any part of this request, please cite each specific exemption you think justifies your refusal to release the information and notify me of appeal procedures available under the law.

If you have any questions or concerns, or if I can provide any clarification that so as to focus, clarify, or narrow this request, please do not hesitate to contact me

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statue requires.
Sincerely,

Bailey Pillon

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
Please be advised that we are in possession of the following Medical Examiner reports that are responsive to your request:

* Report of Postmortem Examination
* Microscopic Examination
* Medical Examiner Investigations Case Report
* Clothing/Personal Effects Inventory
* Release Record
* NMS Labs Toxicology Report
* Toxicology Report
* Report of Neuropathology Consultation
* NMH Department of Pathology Autopsy Report Body Sheet
Some records responsive to your request are available for you to download online at the following link. FOIA Request - R003358-080523
Section 6(b) of the Act states [e]xcept when a fee is otherwise fixed by statute, each public body may charge fees reasonably calculated to reimburse its actual cost for reproducing and certifying public records and for the use, by any person, of the equipment of the public body to copy records.  No fees shall be charged for the first 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal sized copies requested by a requester.  The fee for black and white, letter or legal sized copies shall not exceed 15 cents per page.
5 ILCS 140/6(b) (emphasis added).  The fees for copies of records prepared by the Office of the Medical Examiner are set forth by both state statute and county ordinance.
Section 4-7001 of the Counties Code authorizes the county to charge the following fees:
* For a copy of a transcript of sworn testimony: $5.00 per page.
* For a copy of an autopsy report (if not included in transcript); $50.00.
* For a copy of the verdict of a coroner's jury: $5.00.
* For a copy of a toxicology report: $25.00.
* For a print of or an electronic files containing a picture obtained by the coroner: actual cost or $3.00, whichever is greater.
* For each copy of miscellaneous reports, including artist's drawings but not including police reports: actual cost or $25.00, whichever is greater.
* For a coroner's or medical examiner's permit to cremate a dead human body: $50.00.
55 ILCS 5/4-7001.  Pursuant to this section of the Counties Code, the Cook County Board of Commissioners enacted sections 38-144 and 32-1 of the Cook County Code of Ordinances.
Section 38-144 of the Code authorizes the county to charge fees for copies of autopsy reports, toxicology reports and miscellaneous reports, with the fees set in section 32-1.  Section 32-1 mirrors section 4-7001 of the Counties Code, authorizing the county to charge $50.00 for copies of autopsy reports and $25.00 for copies of toxicology and miscellaneous reports.  Neither the Counties Code nor our ordinance contain a fee waiver/reduction provision.
Thus, pursuant to state statute and county ordinance, the total fee for copies of Medical Examiner Reports in our possession responsive to your request is $275.00.
If you wish to purchase copies of the records, please note that we do not accept cash. Only credit cards, checks or money orders made out to the Cook County Comptroller. If you wish to purchase records, please let me know and I will send additional instructions. In the event you do not wish to purchase copies, we will make the records available for you to review.  Please contact me to schedule a time that is convenient for you.  Please note that neither the state statute nor the county ordinance permit individuals to take any photographs of the records during inspection.
Thank you,
Rachel
Rachel Dailey
Administrative Assistant V & FOIA Officer
Office of the President
(O) 312-603-0002
Rachel.Dailey@cookcountyil.gov