§ 130A-383. Medical examiner jurisdiction. - North Carolina Statutes

§ 130A‑383.  Medicalexaminer jurisdiction.

(a)        Upon the death ofany person resulting from violence, poisoning, accident, suicide or homicide;occurring suddenly when the deceased had been in apparent good health or whenunattended by a physician; occurring in a jail, prison, correctionalinstitution or in police custody; occurring in State facilities operated inaccordance with Part 5 of Article 4 of Chapter 122C of the General Statutes;occurring pursuant to Article 19 of Chapter 15 of the General Statutes; oroccurring under any suspicious, unusual or unnatural circumstance, the medicalexaminer of the county in which the body of the deceased is found shall benotified by a physician in attendance, hospital employee, law‑enforcementofficer, funeral home employee, emergency medical technician, relative or byany other person having suspicion of such a death. No person shall disturb thebody at the scene of such a death until authorized by the medical examinerunless in the unavailability of the medical examiner it is determined by theappropriate law enforcement agency that the presence of the body at the scenewould risk the integrity of the body or provide a hazard to the safety ofothers. For the limited purposes of this Part, expression of opinion that deathhas occurred may be made by a nurse, an emergency medical technician or anyother competent person in the absence of a physician.

(b)        The discovery ofanatomical material suspected of being part of a human body shall be reportedto the medical examiner of the county in which the material is found.

(c)        Upon completion ofthe investigation and in accordance with the rules of the Commission, themedical examiner shall release the body to the next of kin or other interestedperson who will assume responsibility for final disposition.  (1955, c. 972, s. 1; 1957,c. 1357, s. 1; 1963, c. 492, s. 4; 1967, c. 1154, s. 1; 1983, c. 891, s. 2;1989, c. 353, s. 1; 2008‑131, s. 2.)