Georgia Code
Article 2 - Death Investigations
§ 45-16-24. Notification of Suspicious or Unusual Deaths; Court Ordered Medical Examiner’s Inquiry; Written Report of Inquiry

History. Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 602, § 8; Ga. L. 1984, p. 812, § 2; Ga. L. 1985, p. 1073, § 1; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1735, § 3; Ga. L. 1994, p. 391, § 1; Ga. L. 2009, p. 81, § 1B/HB 64; Ga. L. 2017, p. 319, § 6-1/HB 249; Ga. L. 2018, p. 239, § 1/SB 327; Ga. L. 2022, p. 409, § 1/SB 496.
The 2017 amendment, effective July 1, 2017, in subsection (a), substituted “individual” for “person” in the introductory paragraph and in the last sentence of the ending undesignated paragraph, substituted “individuals” for “persons” in paragraph (a)(5), deleted “or” at the end of paragraph (a)(8), added “; or” at the end of paragraph (a)(9), added paragraph (a)(10), and substituted “he or she” for “the person” near the end of the ending undesignated paragraph.
The 2018 amendment, effective July 1, 2018, deleted former paragraph (a)(4), which read: “When unattended by a physician;”; redesignated former paragraphs (a)(5) through (a)(9) as present paragraphs (a)(4) through (a)(8), respectively; deleted “or” at the end of paragraph (a)(8); redesignated former paragraph (a)(10) as present paragraph (a)(9); added “; or” at the end of paragraph (a)(9); and added paragraph (a)(10); and, in subsection (b), inserted “under circumstances specified in paragraphs (1) through (9) of such subsection” in the first sentence and added the second sentence.
The 2022 amendment, effective July 1, 2022, deleted “or” at the end of paragraph (a)(9); added paragraph (a)(10); redesignated former paragraph (a)(10) as present paragraph (a)(11); in the ending undesignated paragraph of subsection (a), in the second sentence, substituted “purposes of paragraph (11) of this subsection” for “the purposes of this Code section” and inserted “by a physician”, and added the last sentence; inserted the second sentence in subsection (b); and substituted “paragraph (5)” for “paragraph (6)” in the second sentence of subsection (d).
Law reviews.
For article on the 2017 amendment of this Code section, see 34 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 143 (2017).

Structure Georgia Code

Georgia Code

Title 45 - Public Officers and Employees

Chapter 16 - Coroners

Article 2 - Death Investigations

§ 45-16-20. Short Title

§ 45-16-21. Definitions

§ 45-16-22. Medical Examiners’ Inquiries — Facilities, Persons Authorized to Perform Inquiries, Payment of Fees, Jurisdiction, and Clerical and Secretarial Assistance

§ 45-16-23. Delegation of Power by Coroner or County Medical Examiner; Qualifications of Those Authorized to Perform Examinations

§ 45-16-24. Notification of Suspicious or Unusual Deaths; Court Ordered Medical Examiner’s Inquiry; Written Report of Inquiry

§ 45-16-25. Coroner’s or County Medical Examiner’s Duties After Notice of Suspicious or Unusual Death; Embalmment; Inventory and Disposition of Deceased’s Property; Use of Deceased’s Property for Evidence; Autopsy Required

§ 45-16-25.1. Releasing Remains of Deceased to Next of Kin; Exception

§ 45-16-26. Assumption of Duties by Medical Examiner in Absence of Coroner or Deputy Coroner; Signing of Death Certificates

§ 45-16-27. When Inquest to Be Held; Special Situations; Coroner’s Fee; Issuance of Subpoenas; Cost of Copying; Limited Disclosure of Photographs

§ 45-16-27.1. Medical Examination of Unexpected or Unexplained Death of Person Under Seven Years of Age

§ 45-16-28. Performance of Autopsy When Not Required Under Code Section 45-16-24

§ 45-16-29. Removal of Body Generally

§ 45-16-30. Transport of Body Across State Line

§ 45-16-31. Authorization of Removal of Body for Convenience of Examination; Investigation of Premises Before Removal

§ 45-16-32. Report of Examination and Investigation; Maintenance of Copies; Verification of Foul Play by Forensic Laboratory; Transmittal of Copies of Reports to District Attorneys

§ 45-16-33. Coroner to Make Inquest Upon Completion of Examination and Verification

§ 45-16-34. Issuance of Subpoenas; Administration of Oath to Witnesses

§ 45-16-35. Coroner to Require Material Witnesses to Enter Into Recognizance; Petition for Issuance of Warrant for Arrest of Suspected Person

§ 45-16-36. Impaneling of Jury to Hold Inquest; Compensation of Jurors

§ 45-16-37. When Jury to Be Impaneled; Jury Not Required to View Body

§ 45-16-38. Issuance of Precept to Sheriff to Summon Inquest Jury; Form

§ 45-16-39. Oath for Foreperson and Jury of Inquest

§ 45-16-40. Coroner’s Charge to Jury; Power of Jury

§ 45-16-41. Defaulting Juror to Be Fined by Coroner

§ 45-16-42. Offering in Evidence of Results of Examination

§ 45-16-44. Disposition of Bodies After Examination and Inquest; Payment of Burial Expenses From Deceased’s Estate

§ 45-16-45. Authority of Coroners and Medical Examiners to Disinter Bodies

§ 45-16-46. Obtaining Blood Sample When Person Unable to Consent; Analysis of Blood Specimens; Certified Report

§ 45-16-47. Penalty for Violation of Article

§ 45-16-48. Coroner’s Employment of Court Reporter

§ 45-16-49. Fees

§ 45-16-50. Providing Biological Substances to Canine Instructors or Schools

§ 45-16-51. Interment of Unidentified Human Remains; Disinterment for Identification