SPONSOR: Sharp (37)
This bill prohibits the making or dissemination of a copy, reproduction, or facsimile of any photograph, negative, or print of a dead body taken by or for a coroner at the scene of a death or a post-mortem examination or autopsy other than for the exceptions specified in the bill. Under this bill, a coroner will not be personally liable for monetary damages in a civil action for any act or omission in compliance with these provisions.
The bill requires a law enforcement officer or official providing information to a coroner to include in his or her report whether the person who died had an identifiable history of being victimized by domestic violence.
The bill repeals current provisions related to law enforcement making a determination about whether a homicide or suicide was related to domestic violence and replaces it with the requirement that law enforcement, prior to making any findings about the cause of death of a person with an identifiable history of being victimized by domestic violence and for whom certain enumerated factors are met, to interview family or household members or other close friends or relatives of the decedent.
If a local law enforcement agency investigating a suspicious death determines that the death is not a homicide, the victim's family members or their legal counsel will have the right to request all records related to the investigation.
Statutes affected: