California Government Code

§ 27521

GOV § 27521 Effective Jan 1, 2019Div. 2 · Title 3 · Part 3 · Ch. 10 · Art. 2.5

Statute text

(a)A postmortem examination or autopsy conducted at the discretion of a coroner, medical examiner, or other agency upon an unidentified body or human remains is subject to this section.

(b)Any agency tasked with the exhumation of a body or skeletal remains of a deceased person that has suffered significant deterioration or decomposition, where the circumstances surrounding the death afford a reasonable basis to suspect that the death was caused by or related to the criminal act of another, may perform the exhumation in consultation with a board-certified forensic pathologist certified by the American Board of Pathology. The board-certified forensic pathologist may suggest that the agency tasked with an exhumation pursuant to this subdivision consider retaining the services of an anthropologist in order to conduct the exhumation with the highest dignity for potential victims, the least damage to a potential crime scene, and the best chance for victim recovery and identification.

(c)A postmortem examination or autopsy shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following procedures:

…

Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 936, Sec. 1. (SB 1163) Effective January 1, 2019.