(a) All law enforcement officers, state’s attorneys, prosecuting attorneys, employees of the Department of Correction, other officials, physicians, funeral directors, embalmers and other persons shall promptly notify the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of any death coming to their attention which is subject to investigation by the Chief Medical Examiner under this chapter, shall assist in making dead bodies and related evidence available to that office for investigations and postmortem examinations, including autopsies, and shall cooperate fully with said office in making the investigations and examinations herein provided for. In conducting such investigations or examinations, the Chief Medical Examiner may issue subpoenas requiring the production of medical reports, records or other documents concerning the death under investigation and compelling the attendance and testimony of any person having pertinent knowledge of such death.

(b) In cases of apparent homicide or suicide, or of accidental death, the cause of which is obscure, or any other death, not clearly the result of natural causes, that occurs while the deceased person is in the custody of a peace officer or a law enforcement agency or the Commissioner of Correction, the scene of the event shall not be disturbed until authorized by the Chief Medical Examiner or his or her authorized representative. Upon receipt of notification of a death as provided herein, the Chief Medical Examiner or his or her authorized representative shall view and take charge of the body without delay.

(c) In conducting his or her investigation, the Chief Medical Examiner or his or her authorized representative shall have access to any objects, writings or other articles of property in the custody of any law enforcement official which in the Chief Medical Examiner’s opinion may be useful in establishing the cause or manner of death. Upon the Chief Medical Examiner’s request, a law enforcement official having custody of such articles shall deliver them to the Chief Medical Examiner, along with copies of any reports of the analysis of such articles by such law enforcement official. The Chief Medical Examiner shall analyze such articles and return them to the official from whom they were obtained. When such articles are no longer required to be kept for the purposes of justice, the law enforcement official who has custody of them shall deliver them to the person or persons entitled to their custody. If such articles are not claimed by such person or persons entitled thereto within one year after the date of death, such articles may be disposed of by the law enforcement official as provided in § 54-36.

(d) Any person who wilfully fails to comply with any provision of this section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.