WHY IS THE MEDICAL EXAMINER INVOLVED?
Texas Law, Statute 49.25 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, requires the Medical Examiner to conduct investigation in certain types of deaths, including: • Unattended deaths • Deaths occurring within 24 housrs of admission to a hospital • Deaths with unknown cause of death • Deaths due to unnatural causes The Medical Examiner generally does not perform an autopsy to support civil litigation or for medical purposes.
State law requires the Medical Examiner (M.E.) to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of all sudden, violent, or unusual deaths and those deaths where the decedent has not been seen by a physician within 20 days prior to death. The deceased will be taken to one of three places as needed: 1) The funeral home chosen by the family or, if the body is unclaimed, the one chosen by the M.E.; 2) Either Wheaton Franciscan/St. Mary’s Medical Center or Memorial Hospital of Burlington if necessary to complete our examination, or 3) The Waukesha County Medical Examiner’s Office if a forensic autopsy is needed. A death certificate is issued after the examination is completed. Occasionally, more extensive testing is required, in which case an interim death certificate is issued which will allow the family to make funeral arrangements. A final death certificate will be issued following completion of special testing.
State law requires the Medical Examiner to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of all deaths that are a result of violence, accident, suicide, or suddenly when in apparent health or when attended by a physician, when in prison, deaths that occur in a suspicious or unusual manner, or deaths that occur within twenty four hours after admission to a hospital or institution. The deceased will be taken to the Medical Examiner’s facility and examined by a physician to determine the cause of death. A death certificate is issued after the examination is completed. Occasionally, more extensive testing is required, in which case a final death certificate will be issued upon completion of testing.
A. State law requires the Medical Examiner to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of all sudden, violent, and unusual deaths, and those deaths where the decedent has not been by a physician in 30 days prior to death. The Medical Examiner investigator will conduct a preliminary investigation of the scene and the circumstances. If a reasonable cause of death is determined by this investigation then the body will we released. If more tests are required, the body will be transported to a morgue facility. A final Death Certificate will be issued upon completion of the investigation.
