2021 Oregon Revised Statutes
Chapter 146 - Investigations of Deaths, Injuries and Missing Persons
Section 146.003 - Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992.


(1) "Approved laboratory" means a laboratory approved by the Chief Medical Examiner as competent to perform the blood sample analysis required by ORS 146.113 (2).
(2) "Assistant district medical examiner" means a physician appointed by the district medical examiner to investigate and certify deaths within a county or district.
(3) "Cause of death" means the primary or basic disease process or injury ending life.
(4) "Death requiring investigation" means the death of a person occurring in any one of the circumstances set forth in ORS 146.090.
(5) "District medical examiner" means a physician appointed by the Chief Medical Examiner to investigate and certify deaths within a county or district, including a Deputy State Medical Examiner.
(6) "Law enforcement agency" means a county sheriff’s office, municipal police department, police department established by a university under ORS 352.121 or 353.125 and the Oregon State Police.
(7) "Legal intervention" includes an execution pursuant to ORS 137.463, 137.467 and 137.473 and other legal use of force resulting in death.
(8) "Manner of death" means the designation of the probable mode of production of the cause of death, including natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal, legal intervention or undetermined.
(9) "Medical examiner" means a physician appointed as provided by ORS 146.003 to 146.189 to investigate and certify the cause and manner of deaths requiring investigation, including the Chief Medical Examiner.
(10) "Medical-legal death investigator" means a person appointed by the district medical examiner to assist in the investigation of deaths within a county.
(11) "Pathologist" means a physician holding a current license to practice medicine and surgery and who is eligible for certification by the American Board of Pathology.
(12) "Unidentified human remains" does not include human remains that are unidentified human remains that are part of an archaeological site or suspected of being Native American and covered under ORS chapters 97 and 390 and ORS 358.905 to 358.961. [1973 c.408 §1a; 1995 c.744 §17; 2007 c.500 §1; 2011 c.506 §18; 2013 c.180 §18; 2017 c.151 §3]

Structure 2021 Oregon Revised Statutes

2021 Oregon Revised Statutes

Volume : 04 - Criminal Procedure, Crimes

Chapter 146 - Investigations of Deaths, Injuries and Missing Persons

Section 146.003 - Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992.

Section 146.015 - State Medical Examiner Advisory Board; appointment of Chief Medical Examiner; rules.

Section 146.025 - Functions of board.

Section 146.035 - Chief Medical Examiner; personnel; records; right to examine records.

Section 146.045 - Duties of Chief Medical Examiner; persons missing at sea, in wilderness or in forested environment.

Section 146.055 - Advice; autopsies; training programs; report.

Section 146.065 - Local medical examiners; appointment; Deputy State Medical Examiner.

Section 146.075 - District office duties; personnel; expenses for certain duties; records and reports.

Section 146.080 - Assistant district medical examiner.

Section 146.085 - Medical-legal death investigators.

Section 146.090 - Deaths requiring investigation.

Section 146.095 - Investigation; certification; report; training.

Section 146.100 - Where death considered to have occurred; notification of death required.

Section 146.103 - Removal of body, effects or weapons prohibited without consent.

Section 146.107 - Authority to enter and secure certain premises; court order.

Section 146.109 - Notification of next of kin.

Section 146.113 - Authority to order removal of body fluids.

Section 146.117 - Autopsies.

Section 146.121 - Disposition of body; filing; expenses.

Section 146.125 - Disposition of personal property.

Section 146.135 - Authority to order inquest.

Section 146.145 - Jury of inquest.

Section 146.155 - Inquest proceedings.

Section 146.165 - Verdict; findings; testimony and verdict of inquest as admissible evidence in subsequent proceedings.

Section 146.171 - Unidentified human remains; maintenance of records.

Section 146.174 - Medical examiner to provide information about unidentified human remains; identification.

Section 146.177 - Procedures for investigating missing persons.

Section 146.181 - Missing persons; police report; supplementary report.

Section 146.184 - Medical practitioners to provide information about missing persons.

Section 146.187 - DNA sample.

Section 146.189 - Use of records to identify human remains and missing persons; disposition of records.

Section 146.710 - Definition for ORS 146.710 to 146.780.

Section 146.750 - Injuries to be reported to law enforcement agency.

Section 146.992 - Penalties.