130A-377. Establishment and maintenance of central and district offices. The Department shall establish and maintain a central office 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 postmortem examinations. (1955, c. […]
130A-378. Qualifications and appointment of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Chief Medical Examiner shall be a forensic pathologist certified by the American Board of Pathology and licensed to practice medicine. The Chief Medical Examiner shall be appointed by the Secretary. (1983, c. 891, s. 2.)
130A-379. Duties of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Chief Medical Examiner shall perform postmortem medicolegal examinations as provided in this Part. The Chief Medical Examiner may, upon request, provide instruction in health science, legal medicine and other subjects related to his duties at The University of North Carolina, the North Carolina Justice Academy and other […]
130A-380. The Chief Medical Examiner’s staff. The Chief Medical Examiner may employ qualified pathologists to serve as Associate and Assistant Medical Examiners in the central and district offices. The Associate and Assistant Medical Examiners shall perform duties assigned by the Chief Medical Examiner. Forensic chemists may be employed by the Chief Medical Examiner to provide […]
130A-381. Additional services and facilities. In order to provide proper facilities for investigating deaths as authorized in this Part, the Chief Medical Examiner may arrange for the use of existing public or private laboratory facilities. Each county shall provide or contract for an appropriate facility for the examination and storage of bodies under Medical Examiner […]
130A-382. County medical examiners; appointment; term of office; vacancies; training requirements; revocation for cause. (a) The Chief Medical Examiner shall appoint two or more county medical examiners for each county for a three-year term. In appointing medical examiners for each county, the Chief Medical Examiner shall give preference to physicians licensed to practice medicine in […]
130A-383. Medical examiner jurisdiction. (a) Upon the death of any person resulting from violence, poisoning, accident, suicide or homicide; occurring suddenly when the deceased had been in apparent good health or when unattended by a physician; occurring in a jail, prison, correctional institution or in police custody; occurring in State facilities operated in accordance with […]
130A-384. Notification concerning out-of-state body. When a body is brought into this State for disposal and there is reason to believe either that the death was not investigated properly or that there is not an adequate certificate of death, the body shall be reported to a medical examiner in the county where the body resides […]
130A-385. Duties of medical examiner upon receipt of notice; reports; copies. (a) Upon receipt of a notification under G.S. 130A-383, the medical examiner shall take charge of the body, make inquiries regarding the cause and manner of death, reduce the findings to writing and promptly make a full report to the Chief Medical Examiner on […]
130A-386. Subpoena authority. The Chief Medical Examiner and the county medical examiners are authorized to issue subpoenas for the attendance of persons and for the production of documents as may be required by their investigation. (1983, c. 891, s. 2.)
130A-387. Fees. For each investigation and prompt filing of the required report, the medical examiner shall receive a fee paid by the State. However, if the deceased is a resident of the county in which the death or fatal injury occurred, that county shall pay the fee. The fee shall be two hundred dollars ($200.00). […]
130A-388. Medical examiner’s permission necessary before embalming, burial and cremation. (a) No person knowing or having reason to know that a death may be under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner pursuant to G.S. 130A-383 or 130A-384, shall embalm, bury or cremate the body without the permission of the medical examiner. (b) A dead body […]
130A-389. Autopsies. (a) If, in the opinion of the medical examiner investigating the case or of the Chief Medical Examiner, it is advisable and in the public interest that an autopsy or other study be made; or, if an autopsy or other study is requested by the district attorney of the county or by any […]
130A-389.1. Photographs and video or audio recordings made pursuant to autopsy. (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, any person may inspect and examine original photographs or video or audio recordings of an autopsy performed pursuant to G.S. 130A-389(a) at reasonable times and under reasonable supervision of the custodian of the photographs or recordings. Except […]
130A-390. Exhumations. (a) In any case of death described in G.S. 130A-383 or 130A-384 where the body is 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 is buried as determined by a county medical examiner or the […]
130A-392. Reports and records as evidence. Reports of investigations made by a county medical examiner or by the Chief Medical Examiner and toxicology and autopsy reports made pursuant to this Part may be received as evidence in any court or other proceeding. Copies of records, photographs, laboratory findings and records in the Office of the […]
130A-393. Rules. The Commission shall adopt rules to carry out the intent and purpose of this Part. (1967, c. 1154, s. 1; 1973, c. 476, s. 128; 1981, c. 614, s. 15; 1983, c. 891, s. 2.)
130A-394. Coroner to hold inquests. In every case requiring the medical examiner to be notified, as provided by G.S. 130A-383, the coroner shall be notified by the medical examiner, and the coroner shall hold an inquest and preliminary hearing in those instances as required in G.S. 152-7. The coroner shall file a written report of […]
130A-395. Handling and transportation of bodies. (a) It shall be the duty of the physician licensed to practice medicine under Chapter 90 attending any person who dies and is known to have smallpox, plague, HIV infection, hepatitis B infection, rabies, or Jakob-Creutzfeldt to provide written notification to all individuals handling the body of the proper […]
130A-398. Limitation on right to perform autopsy. The right to perform an autopsy shall be limited to those cases in which: (1) The Chief Medical Examiner or a county medical examiner, acting pursuant to G.S. 130A-389, directs that an autopsy be performed; (2) The Commission of Anatomy, acting pursuant to G.S. 130A-415, has given written […]
