Sec. 19a-406. (Formerly Sec. 19-530). Powers and duties of Chief Medical Examiner. Certified pathologists. Autopsies. (a) The Chief Medical Examiner shall investigate all human deaths in the following categories: (1) Violent deaths, whether apparently homicidal, suicidal or accidental, including but not limited to deaths due to
thermal, chemical, electrical or radiational injury and deaths due to criminal abortion,
whether apparently self-induced or not; (2) sudden or unexpected deaths not caused by
readily recognizable disease; (3) deaths under suspicious circumstances; (4) deaths of
persons whose bodies are to be cremated, buried at sea or otherwise disposed of so as
to be thereafter unavailable for examination; (5) deaths related to disease resulting from
employment or to accident while employed; (6) deaths related to disease which might
constitute a threat to public health. The Chief Medical Examiner may require autopsies
in connection with deaths in the preceding categories when it appears warranted for
proper investigation and, in the opinion of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Deputy Chief
Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner or an authorized assistant medical
examiner, an autopsy is necessary. The autopsy shall be performed at the Office of the
Chief Medical Examiner or by a designated pathologist at a community hospital. Where
indicated, the autopsy shall include toxicologic, histologic, microbiologic and serologic
examinations. If a medical examiner has reason to suspect that a homicide has been
committed, the autopsy shall be performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
or by a designated pathologist in the presence of at least one other designated pathologist
if such other pathologist is immediately available. A detailed description of the findings
of all autopsies shall be written or dictated during their progress. The findings of the
investigation at the scene of death, the autopsy and any toxicologic, histologic, serologic
and microbiologic examinations and the conclusions drawn therefrom shall be filed in
the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
(b) The Chief Medical Examiner shall designate pathologists who are certified by
the Department of Public Health to perform autopsies in connection with the investigation of any deaths in the categories listed in subsection (a) of this section. Any state's
attorney or assistant state's attorney shall have the right to require an autopsy by a
pathologist so designated in any case in which there is a suspicion that death resulted
from a criminal act. The official requiring said autopsy shall make a reasonable effort
to notify whichever one of the following persons, eighteen years of age or older, assumes
custody of the body for purposes of burial: Father, mother, husband, wife, child, guardian, next of kin, friend or any person charged by law with the responsibility for burial,
that said autopsy has been required, however performance of said autopsy need not be
delayed pending such notice.
(c) If there are no other circumstances which would appear to require an autopsy
and if the investigation of the circumstances and examination of the body enable the
Chief Medical Examiner, the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical
examiner or an authorized assistant medical examiner to conclude with reasonable certainty that death occurred from natural causes or obvious traumatic injury, the medical
examiner in charge shall certify the cause of death and file a report of his findings in
the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 6, 7; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 2; 735; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 79-47, S. 9; P.A. 80-190, S. 8; P.A.
84-9; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-180, S. 62, 166.)
History: 1971 acts added Subsec. (c) and required that official requiring autopsy make reasonable effort to notify person
assuming custody of body for burial; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective
January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-47 added word "chief" in titles of agency and deputy medical examiner, changed provision re
performance of autopsies to require performance at office of chief medical examiner or at community hospital by pathologist, previously required that autopsy be performed by chief or deputy chief medical examiner or by pathologist without
reference to place where performed; P.A. 80-190 removed coroners and deputy coroners as persons who may request
autopsies in Subsec. (b); Sec. 19-530 transferred to Sec. 19a-406 in 1983; P.A. 84-9 restated provisions re autopsy procedure;
P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July
1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner
and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-180 made a technical grammatical change, effective June
3, 1996.
See Sec. 19a-286 re consent to postmortem examination or autopsy.
See Sec. 19a-413 re autopsy of exhumed body.
See Sec. 20-101a re pronouncement of death by a registered nurse.
Annotations to former section 19-530:
Cited. 201 C. 448, 450.
Cited. 5 CA 316, 323, 324.
Annotations to present section:
Cited. 201 C. 448, 450.
Cited. 4 CA 468, 483.
Sec. 19a-407. (Formerly Sec. 19-531). Reports of deaths. Procedure. (a) All
law enforcement officers, state's attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, other officials, physicians, funeral directors, embalmers and other persons shall promptly notify the Office
of the Chief Medical Examiner of any death coming to their attention which is subject
to investigation by the Chief Medical Examiner under this chapter, shall assist in making
dead bodies and related evidence available to that office for investigations and postmortem examinations, including autopsies, and shall cooperate fully with said office in
making the investigations and examinations herein provided for. In conducting such
investigations or examinations, the Chief Medical Examiner may issue subpoenas requiring the production of medical reports, records or other documents concerning the
death under investigation and compelling the attendance and testimony of any person
having pertinent knowledge of such death.
(b) In cases of apparent homicide or suicide, or of accidental death, the cause of
which is obscure, the scene of the event shall not be disturbed until authorized by the
Chief Medical Examiner or his authorized representative. Upon receipt of notification
of a death as provided herein, the Chief Medical Examiner or his authorized representative shall view and take charge of the body without delay.
(c) In conducting his investigation, the Chief Medical Examiner or his authorized
representative shall have access to any objects, writings or other articles of property in
the custody of any law enforcement official which in the Chief Medical Examiner's
opinion may be useful in establishing the cause or manner of death. Upon the Chief
Medical Examiner's request, a law enforcement official having custody of such articles
shall deliver them to the Chief Medical Examiner, along with copies of any reports of
the analysis of such articles by such law enforcement official. The Chief Medical Examiner shall analyze such articles and return them to the official from whom they were
obtained. When such articles are no longer required to be kept for the purposes of justice,
the law enforcement official who has custody of them shall deliver them to the person
or persons entitled to their custody. If such articles are not claimed by such person or
persons entitled thereto within one year after the date of death, such articles may be
disposed of by the law enforcement official as provided in section 54-36.
(d) Any person who wilfully fails to comply with any provision of this section shall
be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 8; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 3; 1972, P.A. 6, S. 1; P.A. 79-47, S. 10; P.A. 80-190, S. 9; P.A. 90-158, S. 2;
P.A. 98-14.)
History: 1971 act replaced office of medicolegal investigations with office of the medical examiner and added references
to holding and analyzing property in Subsec. (c); 1972 act gave chief medical examiner power to issue subpoenas and
compel attendance and testimony of witnesses in Subsec. (a); P.A. 79-47 added word "chief" to agency name and gave
deputy chief and associate medical examiners authority under Subsec. (b); P.A. 80-190 removed coroners and deputy
coroners from Subsec. (a); Sec. 19-531 transferred to Sec. 19a-407 in 1983; P.A. 90-158 substituted authorized representative for deputy chief medical examiner, associate medical examiner or an authorized assistant medical examiner in Subsec.
(b); P.A. 98-14 amended Subsec. (c) by deleting "except as may be otherwise directed by the state's attorney or an assistant
state's attorney" and providing that the Chief Medical Examiner will have access to, rather than possession of, objects,
writings or other articles of property in custody of law enforcement official, who shall deliver them, upon request, to the
Chief Medical Examiner who shall return them to the law enforcement official, and the law enforcement official shall,
when such articles are no longer needed, deliver them to person entitled to custody.
Annotations to former section 19-531:
Cited. 5 CA 316, 323, 324.
Subsec. (b):
Cited. 5 CA 316, 325.
Subsec. (d):
Cited. 5 CA 316, 325.
Sec. 19a-408. (Formerly Sec. 19-532). Disposition of body after proceedings.
After the termination of all proceedings for which the body is required by the Chief
Medical Examiner, the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner
or an authorized assistant medical examiner, the body shall be delivered to a person or
persons entitled by law to receive the same; but, if there are no such persons who will
take charge of and dispose of the body, then to the proper authorities of the town in
which the body is lying, whose duty it shall be to dispose of it. Whenever the deceased
person has not left property sufficient to defray the expenses of disposition of the body,
the same shall be paid by such town.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 9; P.A. 79-47, S. 11.)
History: P.A. 79-47 included deputy chief medical examiner and associate medical examiners; Sec. 19-532 transferred
to Sec. 19a-408 in 1983.
Sec. 19a-409. (Formerly Sec. 19-533). Issuance of death certificate. The Office
of the Chief Medical Examiner shall complete its investigation where reasonably possible within thirty days. Upon completion of the investigation, the Chief Medical Examiner, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner, an authorized
assistant medical examiner or a pathologist designated by the Chief Medical Examiner
shall file a death certificate, or a certificate supplementing that already filed, with the
registrar of vital statistics for the town in which the death occurred, if known, or, if
not known, for the town in which the body was found. If the deceased is unidentified,
fingerprints of both hands and a photograph of the body, provided mortification has not
proceeded so far or the nature of the cause of death was not such as to make identification
impossible, shall be sent by said office to such registrar of vital statistics and copies
shall be sent to the Department of Public Health and to the Division of State Police
within the Department of Public Safety.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 10; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 4; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 486, 610; P.A. 79-47, S. 12; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39;
P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58.)
History: 1971 act replaced office of medicolegal investigations with office of medical examiner and required completion
of investigations "where reasonably possible, within thirty days" rather than "as soon as reasonably possible, but in any
event within thirty days"; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services and made state
police department a division within the department of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-47 added word
"chief" to agency name and gave deputy chief medical examiner, associate medical examiners and designated pathologists
power to file death certificate; Sec. 19-533 transferred to Sec. 19a-409 in 1983; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health
services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner
and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective
July 1, 1995.
Sec. 19a-410. (Formerly Sec. 19-534). Laboratories. The Office of the Chief
Medical Examiner shall maintain a laboratory or laboratories suitably equipped with
medical, scientific and other facilities for performance of the duties imposed by this
chapter. Laboratories may be maintained in collaboration with The University of Connecticut or any other medical school or hospital and any other agencies in the state which
have facilities that can be used in performing the duties of the office. The manner of
compliance with this section shall be in the discretion of the commission.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 11; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 5; P.A. 79-47, S. 13.)
History: 1971 act replaced office of medicolegal investigations with office of medical examiner; P.A. 79-47 added
word "chief" to office name and substituted "used" for "utilized"; Sec. 19-534 transferred to Sec. 19a-410 in 1983.
Sec. 19a-411. (Formerly Sec. 19-535). Records. (a) The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shall keep full and complete records properly indexed, giving the name,
if known, of every person whose death is investigated, the place where the body was
found, the date, cause and manner of death and containing all other relevant information
concerning the death and a copy of the death certificate. The full report and detailed
findings of the autopsy and toxicological and other scientific investigation, if any, shall
be a part of the record in each case. The office shall promptly notify the state's attorney
having jurisdiction of such death and deliver to the state's attorney copies of all pertinent
records relating to every death in which further investigation may be advisable. Any
state's attorney, chief of police or other law enforcement official may, upon request,
secure copies of such records or other information deemed necessary by such official
for the performance of his or her official duties.
(b) The report of examinations conducted by the Chief Medical Examiner, Deputy
Chief Medical Examiner, an associate medical examiner or an authorized assistant medical examiner, and of the autopsy and other scientific findings may be made available
to the public only through the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and in accordance
with this section, section 1-210 and the regulations of the commission. Any person may
obtain copies of such records upon such conditions and payment of such fees as may
be prescribed by the commission, except that no person with a legitimate interest in the
records shall be denied access to such records, and no person may be denied access to
records concerning a person in the custody of the state at the time of death. As used in
this section, a "person in the custody of the state" is a person committed to the custody
of (1) the Commissioner of Correction for confinement in a correctional institution or
facility or a community residence, (2) the Commissioner of Children and Families, or
(3) the Commissioner of Mental Retardation.
(c) Upon application by the Chief Medical Examiner or state's attorney to the superior court for the judicial district in which the death occurred, or to any judge of the
superior court in such judicial district when said court is not then sitting, said court or
such judge may limit such disclosure to the extent that there is a showing by the Chief
Medical Examiner or state's attorney of compelling public interest against disclosure
of any particular document or documents. Public authorities, professional, medical, legal
or scientific bodies or universities or similar research bodies may, in the discretion of
the commission, have access to all records upon such conditions and payment of such
fees as may be prescribed by the commission. Where such information is made available
for scientific or research purposes, such conditions shall include a requirement that the
identity of the deceased persons shall remain confidential and shall not be published.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 12; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 6; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 79-47, S. 14; P.A. 80-190, S. 10; P.A. 02-137, S. 4.)
History: 1971 act replaced office of medicolegal investigations with office of medical examiner and added provision
re availability of examination and autopsy findings to public; P.A. 78-280 replaced "county" with "judicial district"; P.A.
79-47 added word "chief" to agency and deputy medical examiner titles and changed wording slightly for clarity; P.A.
80-190 deleted coroners as persons requiring notification and as persons entitled to copies of records; Sec. 19-535 transferred
to Sec. 19a-411 in 1983; P.A. 02-137 divided existing section into Subsecs. (a), (b) and (c) and amended newly designated
Subsec. (b) to add that records be made available in accordance with this section, provided that no person may be denied
access to records concerning a person in the custody of the state at time of death and defined "a person in the custody of
the state", substituted "except that" for "provided" and "in the records" for "therein" and made technical changes throughout
the section for the purpose of gender neutrality.
Provides exception to Sec. 1-19(a) for autopsy reports; judgment reversed. 201 C. 448, 452, 454-462.
Cited. 4 CA 468, 470, 473-476, 483, 484. Cited. 21 CA 138, 147, 149.
Sec. 19a-412. (Formerly Sec. 19-536). Records as evidence. The records of the
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, or transcripts thereof certified by the Chief Medical Examiner or his authorized representative, shall be subject to subpoena and shall be
admissible in evidence in any court in the state in the same manner and subject to the
same conditions as hospital records as provided in section 4-104, except that the findings
or conclusions of the Chief Medical Examiner, his deputy, an associate medical examiner or an assistant medical examiner as to the cause or circumstances of death, other
than those set forth in the death certificate or the autopsy report, and statements by
witnesses or other persons and conclusions upon extraneous matters shall not be admissible.
(1969, P.A. 699, S. 13; 1971, P.A. 412, S. 7; P.A. 79-47, S. 15.)
History: 1971 act replaced office of medicolegal investigations with office of medical examiner; P.A. 79-47 added
word "chief" to office name and included findings by associate medical examiners; Sec. 19-536 transferred to Sec. 19a-412 in 1983.
Cited. 214 C. 146, 156.