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The county
medical examiner is an officer of the State of North Carolina, charged with the
duty of investigating and certifying specified categories of human deaths in
North Carolina. A medical examiner's authority derives from Article 16 of
Section 130A of the North Carolina General Statutes. His/her primary purpose is
to detect, analyze, and document the medical aspects of certain types of deaths
so that deaths can be better understood scientifically, legally, and socially.
The
following types of deaths in North Carolina are to be reported to a medical
examiner:
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Homicide
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Suicide
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Accident
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Trauma
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Disaster
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Violence
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Unknown,
unnatural or suspicious circumstances
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In
police custody, jail or prison
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Poisoning or suspicion of poisoning
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Public
health hazard (such as acute contagious disease or epidemic)
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Deaths
during surgical or anesthetic procedures
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Sudden
unexpected deaths not reasonably related to known previous disease
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Deaths
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Every
death that is due to or might reasonably have been due to a violent or traumatic
injury or accident is to be investigated by the medical examiner. This includes
all murders, suicides, accidents, poisonings, etc. Note that every death due
to a violent cause is to be investigated, regardless of the duration of survival
(including hospitalizations) of the decedent after his/her injury. If there
is any question as to whether or not a given death should be investigated by he
medical examiner, please call the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME)
for consultation. The toll free number is 1-800-672-7024.
A death
will be reported to a medical examiner by any person who has knowledge of the
death or who finds the dead body. The body should not be removed from the
scene of death until the medical examiner has authorized the removal. If an
ME plans to go to the scene to view the body this should be made clear to the
notifying agents and the ME should respond promptly. Law enforcement officials
may authorize removal in emergency situations.
The ME
should make arrangements with law enforcement agencies, funeral homes, and
hospitals in the area to facilitate the prompt disposition of the body. The
medical examiner may direct that a body be removed from the scene to a more
convenient repository for detailed examination at a more convenient time. Most
cases will not require the medical examiner's presence at the scene of the
death, and the law does not require a scene visit. The ME should make a special
effort, if at all possible, to visit the scene of all homicide deaths, and to
such other scenes of death as may contribute to a better understanding of the
case. If the medical examiner does not visit the scene, the information about
the scene, how the body was found, etc., must be obtained from law enforcement,
EMS personnel or others having such direct knowledge.
Medical
Examiners should order an autopsy on:
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All
homicides and suspected homicides
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Suspected drug related deaths, illicit or prescription
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Deaths in jail, prison, or under law enforcement custody or control
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Hit
and run accidents
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Victims alleged to have been lying in the roadway or on railroad tracks
before being struck
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Pilots and crew in aircraft crashes, private and commercial
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Sudden unexpected deaths where the decedent does not have a
well-documented illness that would explain death (All such deaths in young
adults, children, and infants, including SIDS cases, should be autopsied.
Deaths in the elderly should be considered on a case by case basis.)
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Suspicious or contested suicides
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Accidental deaths where the observable injuries do not appear sufficient
to explain death or seem inconsistent with the alleged "accident"
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Possible public health hazard when the autopsy is the most expeditious
means of determining whether in fact a hazard exists
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Law
enforcement insistence
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Badly burned (charred) bodies
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Badly disfigured bodies when identification may be an issue, especially if
there are multiple fatalities
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Skeletonized remains
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Badly decomposed remains
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Any
death where there is a reasonable suspicion that trauma (external force)
may have been the cause or a contributing cause and an autopsy will settle
the issue.
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Apparently natural deaths in known alcoholics and drug abusers
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Deaths of travelers, vacationers, convention attendees, workers, students,
and other strangers from afar should be carefully evaluated before a
decision NOT to autopsy is made |
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