Privacy Policy — The Medical Examiner's Report
Effective Date: August 16, 2026
Last Updated: August 16, 2026
The Medical Examiner's Report ("MER," "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide when visiting our website, subscribing to our communications, purchasing a membership, accessing the Case Vault, submitting a case, or otherwise interacting with our services.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we may collect, how we use it, when it may be shared, and the choices available to you.
By using this website, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
We may collect information you voluntarily provide, including:
Name
Email address
Contact information
Account or membership information
Case suggestions or submissions
Messages submitted through contact forms
Newsletter subscriptions
Communications sent directly to MER
Information necessary to administer subscriptions or purchases
Please do not submit confidential medical records, private investigative materials, graphic photographs, Social Security numbers, financial account information, or other highly sensitive personal information through our general contact or case-submission forms.
Membership & Payment Information
If you purchase access to the Case Vault or another paid MER service, payment transactions may be processed by a third-party payment processor.
MER does not intend to directly store complete credit or debit card numbers. Payment processors may collect and process payment information according to their own privacy policies and terms.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the website, certain information may be collected automatically, including:
IP address
Browser type
Device information
Operating system
Pages viewed
Referring website
Approximate geographic location
Date and time of visits
Website interactions
Cookie and similar technology information
This information may be used to operate the website, understand audience behavior, improve our content, maintain security, and measure website performance.
2. How We Use Information
Information collected through MER may be used to:
Provide and maintain the website
Create and manage Case Vault accounts
Process memberships and purchases
Authenticate member access
Deliver podcast and case updates
Send newsletters when requested
Respond to questions and inquiries
Review case suggestions
Communicate with subscribers
Improve website functionality
Analyze website usage
Detect fraud or unauthorized account access
Protect MER's intellectual property
Comply with legal obligations
Enforce our Terms of Use
We may also use aggregated or de-identified information to understand how audiences interact with MER.
3. The Case Vault
MER may provide members with access to a digital research archive known as the Case Vault.
Case Vault membership may require the creation of an account containing information such as your name, email address, login credentials, subscription status, and account activity.
Members are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials.
We may monitor account activity when reasonably necessary to prevent unauthorized access, account sharing, scraping, copying, or other misuse of Case Vault materials.
4. Case Submissions
MER may allow listeners to suggest cases for potential coverage.
Submitting a case does not guarantee that MER will investigate, research, publish, or respond to the submission.
Please submit only information you are legally permitted to share.
Do not use the general case-submission form to provide confidential medical information, sealed records, private identifying information, graphic images, or documents you are not authorized to disclose.
If MER requires additional information regarding a submission, we may contact you separately.
5. Email Communications
If you subscribe to MER emails, you may receive communications concerning:
New podcast episodes
New Case Vault files
Updates to existing cases
Membership information
MER announcements
Educational content
Other information related to the podcast
You may unsubscribe from promotional email communications at any time using the unsubscribe option provided in those communications.
We may still send transactional or account-related communications when necessary to administer an active membership or respond to a request.
6. Cookies and Similar Technologies
MER may use cookies and similar technologies to:
Keep users logged into their accounts
Remember preferences
Understand website traffic
Analyze website performance
Improve user experience
Maintain website security
Measure the effectiveness of content or promotions
Some cookies may be provided by third-party services used to operate the website.
Where required by applicable law, visitors may be provided with choices regarding non-essential cookies.
7. Analytics
MER may use analytics services to better understand website traffic and audience behavior.
These services may collect information about your device, browser, website activity, and approximate location.
Analytics information is generally used to understand overall website performance rather than to personally identify individual visitors.
8. Third-Party Services
MER may rely on third-party providers for services including:
Website hosting
Podcast hosting
Payment processing
Membership management
Email marketing
Website analytics
Cloud storage
Embedded audio or video
Social media integration
These providers may process information according to their own privacy policies.
MER is not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites or services.
9. External Links
The MER website may contain links to news organizations, government agencies, courts, medical examiner or coroner offices, research materials, social media platforms, and other third-party websites.
Following an external link may allow that third party to collect information from you.
MER does not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, availability, or content of external websites.
10. Public Records and Case Information
MER discusses matters involving real people and may reproduce, summarize, reference, or link to information obtained from lawful sources, including public records, court records, government releases, published reporting, interviews, and other legally available materials.
Information appearing within MER editorial content or the Case Vault is separate from personal information collected from website users through their interaction with the MER website.
Requests or concerns regarding information appearing within MER editorial content may be submitted to:
11. Information Sharing
MER does not sell your personal information.
We may share information with service providers when reasonably necessary to operate the website or provide requested services.
Information may also be disclosed when reasonably necessary to:
Comply with applicable law
Respond to lawful legal process
Protect the rights or safety of MER, its users, or others
Investigate fraud or security concerns
Enforce our agreements
Complete a business restructuring, acquisition, sale, or similar transaction
12. Data Security
MER takes reasonable administrative and technical measures designed to protect personal information.
However, no website, database, transmission method, or online storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
You are responsible for maintaining the security of your Case Vault password and should notify MER if you believe your account has been accessed without authorization.
13. Data Retention
We may retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to:
Provide requested services
Maintain memberships
Fulfill transactions
Maintain business and tax records
Resolve disputes
Prevent fraud
Enforce agreements
Meet legal obligations
Information that is no longer reasonably necessary may be deleted, anonymized, or retained where legally permitted.
14. Children's Privacy
The MER website and Case Vault are not directed toward children under the age of 13.
We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 through website accounts or membership services.
If we become aware that such information has been collected without appropriate authorization, we may take reasonable steps to delete it.
MER podcast episodes and Case Vault materials may address mature subjects, including death, violence, abuse, sexual assault, and other sensitive topics. Parental discretion is strongly encouraged for younger audiences.
15. Your Privacy Choices
Depending on where you live, applicable law may provide certain rights concerning your personal information.
These may include rights to request:
Access to certain personal information
Correction of inaccurate information
Deletion of certain information
Information concerning how personal information is used or disclosed
Withdrawal from certain marketing communications
Not every right applies in every jurisdiction or circumstance.
Privacy requests may be sent to:
We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.
16. Do Not Sell or Share
MER does not sell personal information for monetary compensation.
If our practices change or applicable law requires additional opt-out mechanisms, this Privacy Policy and the website will be updated accordingly.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as MER grows, new website functionality is introduced, third-party services change, or legal requirements evolve.
The current version will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date.
Continued use of the website following an update constitutes acknowledgment of the revised policy to the extent permitted by law.
18. Contact
Questions or requests regarding this Privacy Policy may be directed to:
The Medical Examiner's Report
Attn: Steve Wilburn
Email: MEREPORTPOD@gmail.com
The Medical Examiner's Report
Where Science Speaks.
© 2026 The Medical Examiner's Report. All Rights Reserved.