§ 41-61-51. Short title
Sections 41-61-51 through 41-61-79 shall be known and cited as Mississippi Medical Examiner Act of 1986.
§ 41-61-53. Definitions
For the purposes of Sections 41-61-51 through 41-61-79, the following definitions shall apply: “Certification of death” means signing the death certificate. “Coroner” means the elected county official provided for in Sections 19-21-101 through 19-21-107. “County medical examiner investigator” means a nonphysician trained and appointed to investigate and certify deaths affecting the public interest. “County medical […]
§ 41-61-55. State Medical Examiner; appointment; discharge; qualifications; State Medical Examiner Advisory Council; composition and purpose
There is hereby created the position of State Medical Examiner, under the supervision of the Commissioner of Public Safety and within the Office of Forensics Laboratories. The State Medical Examiner shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety subject to the approval of a majority of a panel composed of the following: (a) the […]
§ 41-61-57. County medical examiner; county medical examiner investigator; qualifications; appointment of coroner pro tempore; deputy; removal
There are hereby created the positions of county medical examiners and county medical examiner investigators, to be established as herein provided through successful completion of the death investigation training school provided for in subsection (5) of this section. Each county medical examiner (CME) shall be a doctor of medicine (M.D.) or osteopathic medicine (D.O.) licensed […]
§ 41-61-59. Report of death to medical examiner; investigation of death; compensation of chief medical examiner or investigator
[Effective from and after January 1, 2020, this section will read as follows:] A person’s death that affects the public interest as specified in subsection (2) of this section shall be promptly reported to the medical examiner by the physician in attendance, any hospital employee, any law enforcement officer having knowledge of the death, the […]
§ 41-61-61. County medical examiner to be notified of death; disturbing body at scene of death; notification to State Medical Examiner; penalty for violations; transporting body to autopsy facility
Upon the death of any person where that death affects the public interest, the medical examiner of the county in which the body of the deceased is found or, if death occurs in a moving conveyance, where the conveyance stops and death is pronounced, shall be notified promptly by any person having knowledge or suspicion […]
§ 41-61-63. Duties of State Medical Examiner; completion of death certificate; medical examiner not to favor particular funeral homes
The State Medical Examiner shall: Provide assistance, consultation and training to county medical examiners, county medical examiner investigators and law enforcement officials. Keep complete records of all relevant information concerning deaths or crimes requiring investigation by the medical examiners. Promulgate rules and regulations regarding the manner and techniques to be employed while conducting autopsies; the […]
§ 41-61-65. Autopsy; reports; immunity from liability; review of determination
If, in the opinion of the medical examiner investigating the case, it is advisable and in the public interest that an autopsy or other study be made for the purpose of determining the primary and/or contributing cause of death, an autopsy or other study shall be made by the State Medical Examiner, or the State […]
§ 41-61-67. Disinterment; costs; petition for order of exhumation
In any case of death where the body is or has been buried without investigation by a medical examiner as to the cause and manner of death, or where sufficient cause develops for further investigation after a body has been buried as determined by a medical examiner, the State Medical Examiner shall authorize an investigation […]
§ 41-61-69. Disposition of body without permission of medical examiner; penalties; disposal of body at sea
No person knowing or having reason to know that a death may be under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner shall embalm, bury or cremate the body without the permission of the medical examiner. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and may be punished by a fine […]
§ 41-61-75. Fees; expert witness; expenses; SIDS/Child Death Scene Investigation reports
[Effective from and after January 1, 2020, this section will read as follows:] For each investigation with the preparation and submission of the required reports, the following fees shall be billed to and paid by the county for which the service is provided: A medical examiner or his deputy shall receive One Hundred Seventy-five Dollars […]
§ 41-61-77. Central office for Mississippi Forensics Laboratory and State Medical Examiner; use of private facilities for investigating deaths; personnel; pathologists
The Department of Public Safety shall establish and maintain a central office for the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory and the State Medical Examiner with appropriate facilities and personnel for postmortem medicolegal examinations. District offices, with appropriate facilities and personnel, may also be established and maintained if considered necessary by the department for the proper management of […]
§ 41-61-79. Radio system; pager/beeper; morgue or morgue facility; photographic equipment; vehicle; costs
The county medical examiner, county medical examiner investigator or deputies thereof may be furnished by the board of supervisors of the county: A two-way radio for countywide communication, using similar frequencies to those used by the sheriff. The responsibility for the installation, maintenance and removal of such equipment may be vested in the sheriff by […]