(1) The coroner of each county shall investigate the cause and manner of all deaths that are defined by KRS § 72.405 as a coroner’s case.
(2) The coroner may, in his sound discretion, when investigating a coroner’s case, request the assistance of the district medical examiner and the Office of the Kentucky State Medical Examiner, order an autopsy, and hold an inquest.

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Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 72.410

  • Inquest: means an examination ordered by the coroner, or in his or her absence, ordered by a deputy coroner, into the causes and circumstances of any death which is a coroner's case by a jury of six (6) residents of the county impaneled and selected by the coroner to assist him or her in ascertaining the cause and manner of death. See Kentucky Statutes 72.405
  • 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.
  • State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

(3) (a) Upon notification of the death of a child under the age of eighteen (18) years which meets the criteria for a coroner’s case as defined in KRS § 72.405 and
72.025, the coroner shall immediately contact the local office of the Department for Community Based Services, law enforcement agencies with local jurisdiction, and the local health department to determine the existence of relevant information concerning the case.
(b) Any agency of the state or any other agency, institution, or facility providing services to the child or the child’s family, shall provide to the coroner upon his or her request the cooperation, assistance, and information to enable the coroner to comply with the provisions of this chapter. This section shall not be deemed to abrogate the attorney-client nor the clergy-penitent privilege or the confidentiality of records provided by KRS § 311.377(2). If other privileged or confidential records are disclosed to the coroner pursuant to this section, the records shall remain confidential or privileged and shall not be disclosed except as authorized by this section, to the state or local child fatality response team, or as otherwise required by law.
Effective: July 14, 2022
History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 139, sec. 3, effective July 14, 2022. — Amended
2007 Ky. Acts ch. 85, sec. 152, effective June 26, 2007. — Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 14, sec. 8, effective July 14, 2000. — Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 65, sec. 7, effective July 15, 1998. — Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 347, sec. 6, effective July 15,
1996. — Created 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 93, sec. 4, effective June 17, 1978.