it shall be the duty of any law enforcement officer or other person having knowledge of such death to notify immediately the coroner or county medical examiner of the county in which the acts or events resulting in the death occurred or the body is found. For the purposes of this Code section, no individual shall be deemed to have died unattended when the death occurred while he or she was a patient of a hospice licensed under Article 9 of Chapter 7 of Title 31.
(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.)
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.
Law reviews.- For article on the 2017 amendment of this Code section, see 34 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 143 (2017).
JUDICIAL DECISIONS
Cited in National Life & Accident Ins. Co. v. Fender, 146 Ga. App. 545, 247 S.E.2d 195 (1978).
OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Correlating Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 602, §§ 5, 8, and 9 (see now O.C.G.A. §§ 45-16-24,45-16-25, and45-16-27) together, no post-mortem or autopsy need be performed since the deceased was under the care of a physician and there was no evidence of violence or suicide; if the deceased was under the care of a physician it was not essential that the physician be present at the instant of death to avoid the necessity of notifying the coroner. 1973 Op. Att'y Gen. No. U73-65.
Inquest or post-mortem not necessary.
- The provisions of former Code 1933, § 21-202 (see now O.C.G.A. § 45-16-27(a)), relating to the necessity of taking inquests, have been construed as being somewhat limited by later sections of O.C.G.A. Art. 2, Ch. 16, T. 45, viz., Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 602, § 1 et seq. (see now O.C.G.A. §§ 45-16-24,45-16-25 and45-16-33), in that an inquest and post-mortem would not be necessary when there was sufficient evidence to disclose the cause of death. 1957 Op. Att'y Gen. p. 21.
Organ donations.
- Duties of law enforcement officer and medical technicians to facilitate organ donations under former O.C.G.A. § 17-16-11(b) must be performed harmoniously with the coroner's duty to take charge of the body of a fatally injured individual under O.C.G.A. § 45-16-24. 1996 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 96-13.
Improper removal of body.- The removal of a body to a funeral home without the direction of the peace officer, coroner, or medical examiner is a violation of the law and a misdemeanor. 1962 Op. Att'y Gen. p. 377.
RESEARCH REFERENCES
Am. Jur. 2d.
- 18 Am. Jur. 2d, Coroners or Medical Examiners, § 7 et seq. 22A Am. Jur. 2d, Dead Bodies, §§ 1 et seq., 41 et seq.
C.J.S.- 18 C.J.S., Coroners, § 7 et seq. 25A C.J.S., Dead Bodies, §§ 2, 4.
ALR.- Criminal liability for death of another as result of accused's attempt to kill self or assist another's suicide, 40 A.L.R.4th 702.