County Coroner
The
Office of the Coroner - Public Administrator is a lesser
known but very important function of the Sheriff's Department.
The Coroner is required by law to investigate unexplained
deaths and attempt to determine the cause and manner of
those deaths.
The Coroner, through the assistance of a forensic
pathologist, provides immeasurable assistance to Sheriff's
Detectives and other law enforcement agencies within Kings
County investigating deaths caused by criminal act. |
The
Coroner will investigate deaths which occur under the following
circumstances:
- Unattended
deaths.
- Deceased
not seen by physician in 20 days prior to death.
- Physician
unable to state the cause of death.
- Known
or suspected homicide.
- Known
or suspected suicide.
- Criminal
action or suspicion of a criminal act.
- Related
to suspected self-induced or criminal abortion.
- Associated
with known or alleged rape/crime against nature.
- Following
an accident or injury, either old or recent.
- Drowning,
Fire, Gunshot, Starvation.
- Acute
Alcoholism or Drug Addiction.
- Hanging,
Strangulation, Aspiration.
- Exposure.
- Stabbing
or Cutting.
- Accidental
poisoning (by food, chemical, drug, therapeutic agents).
- Occupational
diseases or hazards.
- Contagious
diseases constituting a public hazard.
- Operating
Room deaths, patients under anesthesia from surgery, recovery
room or elsewhere.
- In
prison or while under sentence.
- All
deaths of unidentified persons.
- Suspected
sudden infant death syndrome (crib deaths).
|
|
|
About
Autopsies
Is
an autopsy always performed?
Not always. If the death
is a "Natural Death" and the deceased has a physician
who knows the medical cause of the death and will furnish
the Coroner with an acceptable cause, the Coroner will not
normally perform an autopsy.
The Coroner performs an autopsy
only when there is a medical or legal need for doing so. |
Why
are autopsies performed?
There are a number of reasons
autopsies are performed. However, the basic reason is to
determine the medical cause of death.
Another reason is
to gather evidence for presentation in a court of law.
If
we perform an autopsy, corneal or pituitary gland tissue
may be removed for transplantation purposes.
If you object
to this procedure, contact us immediately. |
Public Administrator
The
Public Administrator is charged with the disposal and settling
of the estates of those persons who have died without making
a will and without locatable surviving family members.
The
Public Administrator will make a serious attempt to locate
surviving family members, but in all cases will proceed
at the direction of the Probate Court.
Tom A. Edmonds
Chief Deputy Coroner / Public Administrator
Office (559) 582-3211, ext. 2821.
Cell Phone (559) 469-4035
e-mail: tedmonds@co.kings.ca.us
return to Sheriff homepage
|
|
