Where a family member died
I have been trying to find out where my half-brother died, I know he was born May 14, 1948, in MD his name Melvin Page Baker, he died 9 May 2008, but I have no idea where he died. I sent a request to MD State archives for a death certificate, but they could not find one. Any suggestions?
Best Answer
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That is really hard to say.
- Just because they didn't find a certificate does not mean it's not there. That happened to me when I sent for my great great grandfather's death certificate in Oregon. Fortunately I was able to acquire a copy by doing some searching myself (an index at a not-too-distant library, and an in-person visit to Oregon with a copy of the index entry in hand 🙄 ).
- Sometimes newspaper or internet searches can be effective in finding a person's death. There was a notice of my dear friend from highschool being honored in Santa Monica, CA (a day was created in his honor). It took some creative searching, but did eventually find an obituary for him in Tennessee.
In your situation, and the length of time since he died, I'd be looking for other living relatives that might have some clues. I think this type of searching (kind of the reverse of what we normally do) may be called "forensic genealogy" if you need tips on how to go about it.
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Thank you I have tried a newspaper search and also attempted to contact his son to no avail Several family members say he was murdered, and several say he died in a car accident some say it happened in MD and others do not know.
We were estranged for many years due to my half-brother's actions (he was always in jail and stole from the family many times). Thanks for you kind help
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Did you try newspapers.com ? They are one of the largest collections and have a free trial for 7 days. It might be worth a try if you haven't already.
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Did notice a marriage certificate for a Melvin P. Baker born May 14,1948 and Karen L. Jones who were married in Clark County Washington on Aug. 29, 1980. Any thoughts on if your half-brother could have moved out west and this might be him.
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yes, the marriage was between him & a lady named Kare L Jones, but they divorced I have no idea where he died and yes, I tried newspapers.com as well as an in-depth internet search. I have even tried to reach out to his son, but to no avail… Thank you everyone for your kind help
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@Debbie112 Maryland State Archives has an index to death certificates and there is no Melvin Baker listed in 2008. From a newspaper search, there was a Melvin Page Baker arrested in Minnehaha County, South Dakota in 1998, at age 50. You might want to try searching there.
Best of luck!
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