HCSD — Standard Operating Procedures

1015.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE

Pursuant to Government Code 27520, the Coroner Division Facility shall cause an autopsy to be performed when requested in writing by the decedent's next-of-kin. This policy establishes rules and guidelines for the processing and approval of requests for private autopsy examination.

1015.2 REQUEST PROCESS

All requests for a private autopsy examination shall be made in writing by the requester and submitted to the on-duty Coroner or the investigating Deputy Coroner for that decedent's case, if applicable. The requester shall be given the opportunity to contact other entities to perform the requested examination. The Coroner or investigating Deputy Coroner shall determine whether the requester has the legal authority to make the request.

• Government Code 27520 mandates:

1. The request shall be made by the decedent's surviving spouse.
2. If there is no surviving spouse, the request shall be made by the decedent's surviving child or parent.
3. If there is no surviving child or parent, the request shall be made by the decedent's legal next-of-kin.

If there is no surviving spouse, child, or parent, legal next-of-kin shall be determined in accordance with Health and Safety Code section 7100. If there is a dispute between next-of-kin with equal legal authority regarding performance of an autopsy, the Coroner shall forward the request to the Coroner Division Commander, or his/her designee, for review.

1015.3 REVIEW OF REQUEST

The Coroner shall review the content of the request to determine whether the case history or circumstances would cause the death to fall under Coroner jurisdiction. If the death does fall under Coroner jurisdiction and would require a postmortem examination pursuant to Division policy, the assigned Deputy Coroner shall arrange for the examination at no cost to the requester. If the death does not fall under Coroner jurisdiction, arrangements should be made for the decedent to be transported to the Coroner Division Facility for private autopsy.

1015.4 FEES

The cost of the autopsy, additional testing, and any other related expenses shall be negotiated between the contracted pathologist and the next-of-kin requesting the autopsy. Based on the agreement with the contracted pathologist and the Hartwell County Sheriff’s Department, there will be no additional cost or fee charged for the use of the autopsy suite.

1015.5 DOCUMENTATION

All cases approved for private autopsy examination shall be recorded on the "Assist" log and assigned an "Assist" case number. Any documentation or records generated as part of the private autopsy shall be turned over to the contract pathologist and not retained by the Coroner Division.

1015.6 DEATH CERTIFICATE

Upon receipt of a request for private autopsy, the Coroner shall review the associated death certificate and stated cause of death.

• The death certificate must be attested by the primary physician prior to commencement of a private autopsy.

1015.7 AUTOPSY PROCEDURES AND SAMPLE RETENTION

All decedents approved for private autopsy shall be transported, examined, and released by the Coroner Division in accordance with standard operating procedures. All tissues and specimens collected during the autopsy shall be retained and discarded in accordance with standard operating procedures and this policy.

1015.7.1 ADDITIONAL TESTING

Following the initial autopsy examination, the pathologist will determine whether additional testing is required to determine the cause and manner of death. Additional testing may include a toxicology screen, microscopic examination, or neuropathological examination. Additional testing will be at the cost of the requester.

1015.8 CAUSE OF DEATH AND DEATH CERTIFICATE AMENDMENTS

If, at the conclusion of the autopsy and after all additional testing is completed, the pathologist determines the cause of death to be markedly different than the cause(s) of death previously attested by the primary physician, the Deputy Coroner may elect to amend the death certificate to reflect the updated cause of death.

If, at the conclusion of the autopsy and after all additional testing is completed, the contracted pathologist determines the cause of death to be similar to that previously attested by the primary physician (i.e. natural causes), the death certificate shall remain unchanged.

Religious Objection to Autopsy 1016 Religious Objection to Autopsy