Kansas Statutes 22a-242. Child death, notification of coroner; autopsy; notification of state review board; notification of parent or guardian; SIDS death; fee for autopsy
(a) When a child dies, any law enforcement officer, health care provider or other person having knowledge of the death shall immediately notify the coroner of the known facts concerning the time, place, manner and circumstances of the death. If the notice to the coroner identifies any suspicious circumstances or unknown cause, as described in the protocol developed by the state review board under Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22a-243, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall immediately: (1) Investigate the death to determine whether the child’s death included any such suspicious circumstance or unknown cause; and (2) direct a pathologist to perform an autopsy.
(b) If, after investigation and an autopsy, the coroner determines that the death of a child does not include any suspicious circumstances or unknown cause, as described in the protocol developed by the state review board under Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22a-243, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall complete and sign a nonsuspicious child death form.
Terms Used In Kansas Statutes 22a-242
- Guardian: means an individual or a nonprofit corporation certified in accordance with Kan. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Kansas Statutes 77-201
(c) If, after investigation and an autopsy, the coroner determines that the death of a child includes any suspicious circumstance or unknown cause, as described in the protocol developed by the state review board under Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22a-243, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall notify, within 30 days, the chairperson of the state review board and shall notify, within 24 hours, the county or district attorney of the county where the death of the child occurred.
(d) The coroner shall attempt to notify any parent or legal guardian of the deceased child prior to the performance of an autopsy pursuant to this section and attempt to notify any such parent or legal guardian of the results of the autopsy.
(e) A coroner shall not make a determination that the death of a child less than one year of age was caused by sudden infant death syndrome unless an autopsy is performed.
(f) The fee for an autopsy performed under this section shall be the usual and reasonable fee and travel allowance authorized under Kan. Stat. Ann. § 22a-233, and amendments thereto, and shall be paid from the district coroners fund.