§ 20-15-503 — Autopsy

(a) Upon receipt of the report, the county coroner, or the county sheriff if the county coroner is unavailable, shall request from the parents or guardian of the deceased written permission upon a form provided by the Department of Health for an autopsy to be made to determine the exact cause of death. (b) (1) Upon receipt of the permission, the county coroner, or the county sheriff if the county coroner is unavailable, shall notify the department. The department shall arrange for the transportation of the deceased and arrange for an autopsy to be made by a licensed physician in the State of Arkansas and shall arrange for the return transportation of the deceased. (2) If the parents or guardian shall refuse permission for an autopsy to be made, the death nevertheless shall be reported to the department. (c) (1) The results and findings of the autopsy, if any is performed, shall be reported to the parents or guardian of the deceased. (2) The appropriate finding of cause of death shall be recorded upon the certificate of death in any case and the term "sudden infant death syndrome" shall be entered on the certificate of death when it is appropriately descriptive of the circumstances and cause of death of the child. (d) Information concerning sudden infant death syndrome shall be provided by the department to the parents or guardian of an infant whose death has been reported pursuant to this subchapter.

Legislative History

Acts 1979, No. 116, § 3; A.S.A. 1947, § 82-641.