South Carolina Code 17-5-580. Authorization for removal of dead body; penalties; coroner’s jury
(2) It is unlawful for any person to move or transport a body across the county line until the investigation of the case, the post-mortem examination, or autopsy is complete and until removal of the body is authorized by the coroner or medical examiner or one of the coroner’s or medical examiner’s designated assistants.
Terms Used In South Carolina Code 17-5-580
- Autopsy: means the dissection of a dead body and the removal and examination of bone, tissue, organs, and foreign objects for the purpose of determining the cause of death and manner of death. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Coroner: means the person elected or serving as the county coroner pursuant to Section 24 of Article V of the South Carolina Constitution, 1895, this chapter, and Chapter 7 of Title 17. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
- Deputy coroner: means a person appointed pursuant to § 17-5-70. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
- Deputy medical examiner: means a licensed physician employed by the medical examiner, with the approval of the commission, to perform post-mortem examinations, autopsies, and examinations of other forms of evidence as required by this chapter. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
- Medical examiner: means the licensed physician or pathologist designated by the county medical examiner's commission pursuant to Article 5 of this chapter for the purpose of performing post-mortem examinations, autopsies, and examinations of other forms of evidence required by this chapter. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
- Peace officer in charge: means members of the county, city, or town policemen, county, city, or town detectives, South Carolina Highway Patrol, or South Carolina Law Enforcement Division who may be in charge of the investigation of any case involving a death covered by this chapter. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
- Post-mortem examination: means examination after death and includes an examination of the dead body and surroundings by the medical examiner but does not include dissection of the body for any purpose. See South Carolina Code 17-5-5
(3) Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not more than sixty days, or both.
(B) No coroner’s jury may be impaneled until the investigation is completed and copies of the reports of the county medical examiner and peace officer in charge are received by the coroner. The jury is not required to view the body.