Tennessee law, or the Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 38-7-108(a)(1), "Death under suspicious, unusual or unnatural circumstances," states, Any physician, undertaker, law enforcement officer, or other person having knowledge of the death of any person from sudden violence or by casualty or by suicide, or suddenly when in apparent health, or when found dead, or in prison, or in any suspicious, unusual, or unnatural manner, or where the body is to be cremated shall immediately notify the county med.

The Medical Examiner may take jurisdiction over an apparent natural death if the death was unexpected and no medical cause can be determined; if the decedent was not under the care of a physician for any disease, which could reasonably be expected to cause death; and if death might be due to a public health hazard. County Medical Examiners investigate and certify more than 2,000 deaths annually.

Alaska law requires the Medical Examiner to investigate the circumstances and determine the cause and manner of death of all deaths that are:

Deaths that have an impact on the "public's interest". These types of death are outlined in Iowa Code chapter 331.802(3), and generally include: Violent deaths, which include homicide, suicide, or accidental death resulting from physical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, or radiation injury; Deaths related to disease thought to be virulent or contagious, which may constitute a public health hazard;

State legislation (RCW 68.08.010) authorizes the medical examiner to determine the cause of death and the circumstances of death in certain situations. These generally consist of unattended deaths, where the cause of death is not established or where the circumstances of the death indicate that death was caused by unnatural or unlawful means or death occurs under suspicious circumstances.

The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner provides guidance and support to the County Medical Examiners who must investigate any and all violent, suspicious, and unexpected natural deaths that occur within their jurisdictions. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner provides forensic autopsy, investigative, and consultative services when requested to do so by County Medical Examiner personnel.

Iowa is fortunate to have a state medical examiner system. Each of the 99 counties has a County Medical Examiner appointed by their County Board of Supervisors. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner provides them support, guidance, education, consultation, and training.

Yes. Our office tries our best to accommodate family's wishes by letting Tennessee Donor Services have the body before we even begin our exam. In turn, Tennessee Donor Services has been very sensitive to our needs by preserving evidence and not operating in an area of the body that will be crucial to our examination/autopsy.

A medical examiner is a doctor who has a medical degree and has specialized education and experience in the field of pathology and forensic pathology.

The family claiming the body should contact a funeral home of their choice. The funeral home will contact this office and make arrangements for the body to be picked up. Usually the body is available for release within a day of the death, however, the body may remain at Middlesex County Medical Examiner's Office while the family is completing their arrangements. There is no pressure on the family to have a body removed.

No - in the majority of cases, visual identification is not required. If visual identification is required, you will be notified by the Medical Examiner's Office. back to top

Our licensed storage facility is at the same location as our crematory: 1094 Yerba Buena Ave., Emeryville, CA 94608, Crematory License 58.

A County Medical Examiner (CMEs) is a physician licensed within the state of Iowa and appointed by their respective County Board of Supervisors to conduct investigations necessary to determine the cause and manner of death of individuals who die under violent, sudden, and unexpected circumstances (Iowa Code 331.801(3)). County Medical Examiner Investigators are trained death investigators who assist the CME in performing these duties.

The Office of the Medical Examiner is located at 2825 E. District Street, Tucson, Arizona 85714 within the University Physicians Hospital-Kino Complex immediately south of the Abrams Public Health Center. The OME main telephone number is 520-243-8600.

Arizona law (ARS 11-593) requires that certain deaths be reported to OME. Upon the reporting of a death, a medical examiner investigator will determine whether jurisdiction will be accepted. If jurisdiction is accepted, the body will be transported to OME for autopsy or external examination. No. The Medical Examiner’s Office works closely with local organ and tissue procurement organizations to ensure that these anatomical gifts occur whenever possible.

No. In the vast majority of cases, identification has been confirmed prior to the arrival of the deceased at OME. Occasionally, we will request a family member to come to our facility when the remains are those of an unidentified person. Viewing of decedents at the Medical Examiner’s Office is reserved for those individuals whose identity has not yet been confirmed. Please contact the funeral home that you have selected to arrange for any other viewing.

Nearly all individuals are available for release within 24 – 48 hours after arrival. Occasionally, a body may need to be held longer than this to allow for additional forensic testing or for other special procedures necessary to confirm the identity of the deceased.

The basic autopsy involves making a Y-incision (cutting across the midline of the chest and abdomen) and cutting along the top and sides of the head. Although the process sounds disfiguring, autopsy incisions are rarely noticeable after completion of the autopsy if the body is clothed.

The Prosecutor's Office becomes involved when there are serious charges and/or the juvenile becomes re-involved. In these cases, there are formal Court proceedings that resemble adult criminal proceedings.