Death Verification API: confirm a death with the source obituary.
The Death Verification API checks a name against published obituaries and returns found, possible_match or not_found with confidence and a source link, using up to about 15 years of indexed history where coverage and your account allow. Family extraction, category search, batch checks and Screening Reports are available through sales; this is not the SSA Death Master File.
{
"first_name": "Margaret",
"last_name": "Ellison",
"birth_year": 1942,
"address": {
"city": "Boynton Beach",
"state": "FL"
},
"dob_policy": "strict"
}{
"result": "found",
"confidence_band": "high",
"match": {
"full_name": "Margaret A. Ellison",
"death_date": "2026-09-30",
"county": "Palm Beach",
"source_url": "https://…/obituaries/…"
}
}What is a death verification API?
ObituaryMonitor’s Death Verification API checks whether a person has died by matching their name and a location or birth year against published obituaries, and returns found, possible_match, or not_found with a confidence band and the source obituary.
| Input | First and last name plus state, city, county, or birth year |
|---|---|
| Output | found / possible_match / not_found, confidence band, source obituary link |
| Also available | Family Extraction, category search, ongoing watches, Screening Reports |
| Sources | 17,565+ funeral-home and newspaper sources; no SSDI or death registries |
| Pricing model | Custom, by volume; test keys on request |
Verify, extract the family, search by category.
Same sources, same matching engine, same evidence on every result.
Verify
First and last name plus state, city, county, or birth year. Get a result and confidence band, with strict matching when you need it. Batch 50, or async jobs up to 5,000 rows.
Family Extraction
Get the relatives named in a matched obituary, with relationship and location where stated.
Category search
Find obituaries by occupation or status, like veterans, doctors, teachers, plumbers, or electricians.
Screening Reports
Screening Reports: Verify for a one-time file. One-time report for large lists, like a CRM cleanup. CSV plus a PDF report, audit log, and Negative Search Certificates.
Who the obituary names, structured.
When a verification matches, pull the family members named in the obituary, with relationship and location where stated. Useful for estate workflows, claims, and next steps your team already runs.
Family members are the people named in the obituary. This is not legal heir identification, and we don’t supply phone or email contact data.
{
"decedent": "Margaret A. Ellison",
"family": [
{ "name": "Daniel Ellison", "relationship": "son",
"location": "Atlanta, GA" },
{ "name": "Caroline Reyes", "relationship": "daughter",
"location": "Jupiter, FL" }
]
}Find who in a group has passed.
Search obituaries by occupation or status. Examples below; available categories depend on what each obituary states.
Example queries for illustration. Available categories depend on what each obituary states.
Veterans · Florida · last 30 days
Sample · fictionalScreening Reports: Verify for a one-time file.
Have 10,000 names in a CRM, a mailing list, or a member file? Send the list once and get back a one-time report of who has a matching obituary, with confidence and the source for each.
not_found means no matching obituary in our sources. It is not proof of life.
Built to run inside your systems.
Test first. Pay for the volume you use.
Priced on your volume and lookup pattern. Screening Reports are quoted by list size and look-back period. Request test keys through sales, and we’ll quote after you’ve tested.
Billed monthly.
Request test keys.
- Tell us about your use caseVolume, lookup pattern, and systems.
- We follow up with test keysSame endpoints and response shapes as production.
- Get a quotePricing fitted to your volume.
Embed, white-label or batch death checks in your product.
Marketing, data and CRM platforms use the Death Verification API so their own customers can check a name on demand, or clean a whole list before it goes out. Results are structured JSON under your brand.
Embed on-demand lookups
Call POST /api/v1/verify and show found, possible_match or not_found with confidence and a source link. Pass your own client_ref.
White-label or resell
Structured JSON for your own UI. Per-customer references, quotas and usage reporting. Embed, white-label or resale rights exist only under a written agreement with Northgate Leland LLC.
Batch and ongoing
Batch up to 50 per call, CSV upload, or Watches with webhooks. For nationwide new deaths without sending names, see Daily National Intelligence.
- Up to ~15 years of indexed history where coverage and your account allow · not the SSA Death Master File
- Every result shows its work: confidence, scoring_reasons, evidence · not_proof_of_life: true on not_found
- Fields and our own-words biography summary only, never obituary text
- Developer surface: OpenAPI · RapidAPI · Postman · Docs
Obituary-based verification alongside the death master file.
Many teams use both. Verify is not a substitute for DMF when a workflow requires it.
| Death Verification API | SSA DMF / LADMF | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Published obituaries & funeral homes | Government death reports |
| Recency | Often published sooner | Lag varies; access restricted |
| Evidence | Source URL + confidence | Death record entry |
| Family named | Optional extraction | No |
| Lookback | Up to ~15 years where indexed and your account allows | Varies by file and license terms |
| Price on this page | Custom pricing through sales | NTIS / LADMF terms |
Questions API buyers ask.
Prefer to talk it through? Talk to sales or email sales@obituarymonitor.com.
Why isn’t pricing published?
It depends on your volume and lookup pattern, and for Screening Reports, on list size and look-back period. Request test keys through sales, and we quote after you’ve tested.
Does not_found mean the person is alive?
No. not_found means we didn’t find a matching obituary in our sources. It is not proof of life, and every response says so.
How is this different from the Death Master File?
We use public obituaries, not government death files. Obituaries are often published sooner, name family members, and come with a source link. Many teams use the API alongside government data.
Is this a consumer report?
No. ObituaryMonitor is not a consumer reporting agency, and results must not be used for FCRA-regulated decisions.
What volume can it handle?
Up to 50 names per batch call and async jobs up to 5,000 rows. For larger one-time lists, use a Screening Report.
Does Verify include property matching?
No. Property matching is part of Daily County Intelligence only.
What if it isn’t a fit?
Talk to us. Billing is monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
Can we offer death checks to our own customers?
Yes. Platforms embed Verify so their users can check a name or clean a list. Talk to sales. Embed, white-label or redistribution rights exist only under a written agreement with Northgate Leland LLC.
Where is the machine-readable API contract?
The OpenAPI schema is published at /api/v1/openapi.json, and the Verify endpoint reference is at /docs/api/verify.
Do you help with deceased suppression?
Yes. Talk to sales about deceased suppression for marketing lists. For a nationwide daily feed without sending names, ask about Daily National Intelligence.
See the match. Read the source.
A fictional response excerpt using the documented Verify fields. The result includes a biography summary in our own words when available, or extracted stats when it is not. Never an obituary quote.
Alex Morgan
Austin, TX · Date of death: October 20, 2026
A retired teacher who lived in Austin.
View documented JSON excerpt
{
"result": "found",
"confidence": 0.92,
"review_recommended": false,
"search_scope": {
"stored_obituaries_checked": true,
"listing_inventory_checked": true,
"historical_web_search_checked": false,
"search_depth": "recent"
},
"checked_at": "2026-11-05T12:00:00-06:00",
"match": {
"matched_name": "Alex Morgan",
"death_date": "2026-10-20",
"location": "Austin, TX",
"obituary_url": "https://example.com/fictional-notice",
"source": "Fictional Example Publisher",
"snippet": null,
"biography_summary": "A retired teacher who lived in Austin.",
"source_trust": "stored",
"evidence": {
"name_match": "exact",
"location_match": "city_state",
"dob_match": "year_only"
}
}
}