AUTOPSY
The dissection of a dead body by a medical exam-
iner or physician authorized by law to do so in
order to determine the cause and time of a death
that appears to have resulted from other than nat-
ural causes.
This postmortem examination, required by
law, is ordered by the local CORONER when a
person is suspected to have died by violent or
unnatural means. The consent of the decedent’s
next of kin is not necessary for an authorized
autopsy to be held. The medical findings must
be presented at an inquest and might be used as
evidence in a police investigation and a subse-
quent criminal prosecution.
CROSS-REFERENCES
