How do you find a death certificate?

If you are looking for it on the internet, forget it. You will have to go to the County Clerks office of the county they died in. And then only to an immediate family member and you you have to have proof of that because of idenity thief. The actual death certificate is only available to surviving family members for issues such as insurance, probate, and so forth. The record of death however would be found in the vital records department of the state in which the person died. Birth, death, divorce records, etc. are a matter of public record and there are not laws prohibiting the search of such. Many states have online access to public records and it is also possible to use a Social Security Death Index search.