Montana Code 7-4-2917. Disposition of property of deceased — suicide note
7-4-2917. Disposition of property of deceased — suicide note. (1) Any property of a decedent or any suicide note composed or purportedly composed by a decedent in the custody of the county coroner shall be held until such time as the county attorney establishes that it is not necessary to hold such property or note to determine the true cause of death, to assist any investigating agency, or to be used as evidence in any related criminal court action.
Terms Used In Montana Code 7-4-2917
- Decedent: A deceased person.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Property: means real and personal property. See Montana Code 1-1-205
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
(2)For the purposes of this section, “investigating agency” means any county attorney, the state medical examiner, and any law enforcement agency of this state and any political subdivision of this state having jurisdiction of the death.
(3)When such property or note is no longer needed for evidentiary purposes, it shall be given upon written request to the personal representative of the decedent appointed under Title 72 or, if no personal representative is appointed, to the decedent’s family or whoever in the discretion of the county attorney should receive the property or the note.