Printable Format22a-232. Duties; transfer of jurisdiction. (a) Upon receipt of notice pursuant to K.S.A. 22a-231, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall take charge of the dead body, make inquiries regarding the cause of death and reduce the findings to a report in writing. Such report shall be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the death occurred if known, or if not known the report shall be filed with the clerk of the district court of the county in which the dead body was found. If the coroner determines that the dead body is not a body described by K.S.A. 22a-231, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall immediately notify the state historical society.
(b) If in the opinion of the coroner information is present in the coroner's report that might jeopardize a criminal investigation, the coroner shall file the report with the clerk of the district court of such county and designate such report as a criminal investigation record, pursuant to subsection (a)(10) of K.S.A. 45-221, and amendments thereto.
(c) If a death investigation involves multiple jurisdictions, the coroner notified under K.S.A. 22a-231, and amendments thereto, may transfer jurisdiction to another jurisdiction if the coroners of both jurisdictions agree to the transfer.
History: L. 1963, ch. 166, § 8; L. 1976, ch. 124, § 4; L. 1989, ch. 234, § 15; L. 1993, ch. 214, § 7; L. 2000, ch. 54, § 3; July 1.
Attorney General's Opinions:
District coroner; possession of property. 85-61.
District coroner; disclosure of coroner's records. 86-5.
Notification of death to district coroner or deputy, when; duties of coroner. 92-138.
County coroner to sign medical certification as to cause of death. 2000-43.
CASE ANNOTATIONS
1. Applied; deputy coroner held public official; blood sample taken without consent inadmissible in evidence. State v. Gordon, 219 Kan. 643, 649, 549 P.2d 886.
2. Section qualifies K.S.A. 19-1015. State v. Miller, 222 Kan. 405, 413, 565 P.2d 228.
3. Cited; autopsy report of Colorado coroner admissible under K.S.A. 60-460(o) as official record. State v. Bell, 239 Kan. 229, 233, 718 P.2d 628 (1986).
4. Autopsy records subject to public disclosure under open records act; no exemption under K.S.A. 45-221(a)(3). Burroughs v. Thomas, 23 Kan. App. 2d 769, 771, 937 P.2d 12 (1997).