King County Medical Examiner's Office
Policies & Procedures
Chapter 1: Types of deaths to be reported to the Medical Examiner
Jurisdiction is vested in the King County Medical Examiner over all bodies who came to their death as described in RCW 68.50.010. It should be noted, however, that reporting a death to the Medical Examiner is not synonymous with the Medical Examiner assuming jurisdiction or responding to a scene of death. Reporting assures that only deaths appropriate to the jurisdiction of the Medical Examiner will be assessed for investigation by the Medical Examiner. Reporting also assures that personnel familiar with criteria for jurisdiction will review the case information before reporting the death (See NJA cases, pg. 4).
The following section explains the types of deaths included in this statute. All of which must be reported to the Medical Examiner's Office.
Deaths under any of the following circumstances must be reported immediately to the King County Medical Examiner. RCW 68.50.020 provides that any person failing to report a death will be guilty of a misdemeanor. The investigation of death is a timely matter and any delay in reporting can only create increased investigative difficulties.
The criteria of reportable deaths are from the Washington State Statute. Redundancy and duplication exist in the wording of the statute. Therefore, we have attempted to clarify the statutes into a more readable format. Although we have tried to be as complete and specific as possible in compiling this list, there will always be cases that may not fit the criteria exactly. Please call the Medical Examiner's Office if you are uncertain whether a death falls within our jurisdiction. (206-731-3232)
Criteria for reportable deaths
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| 1. |
Persons who die suddenly when in apparent good health and without medical attendance within thirty-six (36) hours preceding death. This category should be reserved for the following situations: |
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A. |
Sudden death of an individual with no known natural cause for the death; |
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B. |
Death during an acute or unexplained rapidly fatal illness, for which a reasonable natural cause has not been established; |
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C. |
Deaths of individuals that were not under the care of a physician; |
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D. |
Deaths of persons in nursing homes or other institutions where medical treatment is not provided by a licensed physician.
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| 2. |
Circumstances indicate death caused entirely OR IN PART, by unnatural or unlawful means. This category includes, but is not limited to: |
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A. |
Drowning, suffocation, smothering, burns, electrocution, lightning, radiation, chemical or thermal injury, starvation, environmental exposure, or neglect; |
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B. |
Unexpected deaths during, associated with, or as a result of, diagnostic or therapeutic procedures;
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C. |
All deaths in the operating room whether due to surgical or anesthetic procedures;
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D. |
Narcotics or other addictions, other drugs including alcohol or toxic agents, or toxic exposure;
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E. |
Death thought to be associated with, or resulting from, the decedent's occupation. This includes chronic occupational disease such as asbestosis and black lung;
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F. |
Death of the mother caused by known or suspected abortion;
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G. |
Deaths occurring from apparent natural causes during the course of a criminal act, e.g., victim collapses during a robbery;
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H. |
Deaths that occur within one year following an accident even if the accident is not thought to have contributed to the cause of death;
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I. |
Death following all injury producing accidents, if recovery was considered incomplete or if the accident is thought to have contributed to the cause of death, (regardless of the interval between accident and death).
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| 3. |
Suspicious circumstances. This category includes, but is not limited to deaths under the following circumstances: |
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A. |
Deaths resulting from apparent homicide or suicide; |
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B. |
Hanging, gunshot wounds, stabs, cuts, strangulation, etc.;
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C. |
Alleged rape, carnal knowledge, or sodomy;
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D. |
Death during the course of, or precipitated by, a criminal act;
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E. |
Deaths that occur while in a jail, prison, in custody of law enforcement, or other non-medical public institutions.
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| 4. |
Unknown or obscure causes. This category includes: |
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A. |
Bodies that are found dead. (See criteria #1 above); |
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B. |
Deaths during or following an unexplained coma.
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| 5. |
Deaths caused by any violence whatsoever, whether the primary cause or any contributory factors in the death. This category includes but is not limited to: |
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A. |
Injury of any type including falls; |
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B. |
Any deaths due to, or contributed to, by any type of physical trauma.
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Contagious disease. This category includes only those deaths wherein the diagnosis is undetermined, and a contagious disease, which may be a public health hazard, is a suspected cause of death.
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| 7. |
Bodies that are not claimed. This category is limited to deaths where no next of kin or other legally responsible representatives can be identified for disposition of the body.
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| 8. |
Premature and stillborn infants. This category includes only those stillborn or premature infants whose birth was precipitated by maternal injury, criminal or medical negligence, or abortion under unlawful circumstances.
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"No Jurisdiction Assumed" deaths (NJA)
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After receiving a report of a death, a determination will be made whether or not to assume jurisdiction. The Medical Examiner's Office will assume jurisdiction of all deaths involving any type of trauma, accident, or violence.
Deaths that are reported to the Medical Examiner that do not result in jurisdiction follow a "No Jurisdiction Assumed" (NJA) procedure. Deaths most frequently reported are those where the deceased was without medical care for thirty-six (36) hours preceding death and death is known to be from natural causes.
The Medical Examiner's Office applies a rather narrow interpretation of the legislative language "persons who come to their death suddenly when in apparent good health without medical attendance within the thirty-six (36) hours preceding death" (RCW 68.50.010).
If both conditions (lack of medical care and apparent good health) apply, the Medical Examiner's Office will take jurisdiction.
If one or both conditions do not apply, the death may be placed in the NJA category. A prerequisite for an NJA case, is that an outside attending physician has knowledge and awareness of a patient's natural disease condition and is able and willing to reasonably certify death.
A record of reported deaths is kept in the Medical Examiner's Office. Each NJA case is given a number. The person reporting the death will be asked to record the NJA number on the death certificate and give it to the funeral home making burial arrangements. An NJA number will expedite the processing of the death certificate by the King County Vital Statistics Office (206-296-4769).
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