Section 944.3 - [Effective 11/1/2024]A. If, in the course of an investigation, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner declines to conduct an autopsy under Section 944 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the Office shall make a good faith effort to so inform the person legally entitled to the custody of the body of the deceased through a written or electronic notice upon or before release of the body. The notice shall contain:1. A statement disclosing that an autopsy was not conducted;2. The contact information of a family assistance coordinator as described in subsection C of this section;3. A statement that the person may have the right to request a private autopsy at personal expense from an authorized physician or hospital under Section 1154 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes prior to the final disposition of the body; and4. A statement that the person may request reports produced by the Office as provided by law upon conclusion of the investigation and completion of the case.B. A licensed funeral director shall make a good faith effort to assist the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in implementing the requirements of subsection A of this section including, but not limited to, by providing the Office with the contact information of the person legally entitled to the custody of the body upon request by the Office.C. The Office shall create a process by which the person legally entitled to the custody of a body or his or her representative may ask questions of, and receive responses from, a family assistance coordinator regarding the medicolegal investigation and other relevant topics within the purview of the Office.Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 944.3
Added by Laws 2024, c. 251,s. 3, eff. 11/1/2024.