2011 Connecticut Code
Title 19a Public Health and Well-Being
Chapter 368q Medicolegal Investigations
Sec. 19a-406. (Formerly Sec. 19-530). Powers and duties of Chief Medical Examiner. Certified pathologists. Autopsies.

      Sec. 19a-406. (Formerly Sec. 19-530). Powers and duties of Chief Medical Examiner. Certified pathologists. Autopsies. (a) The Chief Medical Examiner shall investigate all human deaths in the following categories: (1) Violent deaths, whether apparently homicidal, suicidal or accidental, including but not limited to deaths due to thermal, chemical, electrical or radiational injury and deaths due to criminal abortion, whether apparently self-induced or not; (2) sudden or unexpected deaths not caused by readily recognizable disease; (3) deaths under suspicious circumstances; (4) deaths of persons whose bodies are to be cremated, buried at sea or otherwise disposed of so as to be thereafter unavailable for examination; (5) deaths related to disease resulting from employment or to accident while employed; (6) deaths related to disease which might constitute a threat to public health. The Chief Medical Examiner may require autopsies in connection with deaths in the preceding categories when it appears warranted for proper investigation and, in the opinion of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner or an authorized assistant medical examiner, an autopsy is necessary. The autopsy shall be performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner or by a designated pathologist at a community hospital. Where indicated, the autopsy shall include toxicologic, histologic, microbiologic and serologic examinations. If a medical examiner has reason to suspect that a homicide has been committed, the autopsy shall be performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner or by a designated pathologist in the presence of at least one other designated pathologist if such other pathologist is immediately available. A detailed description of the findings of all autopsies shall be written or dictated during their progress. The findings of the investigation at the scene of death, the autopsy and any toxicologic, histologic, serologic and microbiologic examinations and the conclusions drawn therefrom shall be filed in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

      (b) The Chief Medical Examiner shall designate pathologists who are certified by the Department of Public Health to perform autopsies in connection with the investigation of any deaths in the categories listed in subsection (a) of this section. Any state's attorney or assistant state's attorney shall have the right to require an autopsy by a pathologist so designated in any case in which there is a suspicion that death resulted from a criminal act. The official requiring said autopsy shall make a reasonable effort to notify whichever one of the following persons, eighteen years of age or older, assumes custody of the body for purposes of burial: Father, mother, husband, wife, child, guardian, next of kin, friend or any person charged by law with the responsibility for burial, that said autopsy has been required, however performance of said autopsy need not be delayed pending such notice.

      (c) If there are no other circumstances which would appear to require an autopsy and if the investigation of the circumstances and examination of the body enable the Chief Medical Examiner, the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner or an authorized assistant medical examiner to conclude with reasonable certainty that death occurred from natural causes or obvious traumatic injury, the medical examiner in charge shall certify the cause of death and file a report of his findings in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

      (1969, P.A. 699, S. 6, 7; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 2; 735; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 79-47, S. 9; P.A. 80-190, S. 8; P.A. 84-9; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-180, S. 62, 166.)

      History: 1971 acts added Subsec. (c) and required that official requiring autopsy make reasonable effort to notify person assuming custody of body for burial; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-47 added word "chief" in titles of agency and deputy medical examiner, changed provision re performance of autopsies to require performance at office of chief medical examiner or at community hospital by pathologist, previously required that autopsy be performed by chief or deputy chief medical examiner or by pathologist without reference to place where performed; P.A. 80-190 removed coroners and deputy coroners as persons who may request autopsies in Subsec. (b); Sec. 19-530 transferred to Sec. 19a-406 in 1983; P.A. 84-9 restated provisions re autopsy procedure; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-180 made a technical grammatical change, effective June 3, 1996.

      See Sec. 19a-286 re consent to postmortem examination or autopsy.

      See Sec. 19a-413 re autopsy of exhumed body.

      See Sec. 20-101a re pronouncement of death by a registered nurse.

      Annotations to former section 19-530:

      Cited. 201 C. 448.

      Cited. 5 CA 316.

      Annotations to present section:

      Cited. 201 C. 448.

      Cited. 4 CA 468.