Article 3. Responsibility Of Coroner of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 102. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 6. >> Article 3.

A physician and surgeon, physician assistant, funeral director, or other person shall immediately notify the coroner when he or she has knowledge of a death that occurred or has charge of a body in which death occurred under any of the following circumstances:
  (a) Without medical attendance.
  (b) During the continued absence of the attending physician and surgeon.
  (c) Where the attending physician and surgeon or the physician assistant is unable to state the cause of death.
  (d) Where suicide is suspected.
  (e) Following an injury or an accident.
  (f) Under circumstances as to afford a reasonable ground to suspect that the death was caused by the criminal act of another. Any person who does not notify the coroner as required by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

The coroner whose duty it is to investigate such deaths shall ascertain as many as possible of the facts required by this chapter.

The coroner shall state on the certificate of death the disease or condition directly leading to death, antecedent causes, other significant conditions contributing to death and other medical and health section data as may be required on the certificate, and the hour and day on which death occurred. The coroner shall specifically indicate the existence of any cancer, as defined in subdivision (e) of Section 103885, of which he or she has actual knowledge. The coroner shall within three days after examining the body deliver the death certificate to the attending funeral director.

In any case involving an infant under the age of one year where the gross autopsy results in a presumed diagnosis of sudden infant death syndrome, the coroner shall, within 24 hours of the gross autopsy, notify the local health officer, as defined in Section 123740.

(a) In deaths investigated by the coroner or medical examiner where he or she is unable to establish the identity of the body or human remains by visual means, fingerprints, or other identifying data, the coroner or medical examiner may have a qualified dentist, as determined by the coroner or medical examiner, carry out a dental examination of the body or human remains. If the coroner or medical examiner with the aid of the dental examination and other identifying findings is still unable to establish the identity of the body or human remains, he or she shall prepare and forward the dental examination records to the Department of Justice on forms supplied by the Department of Justice for that purpose.
  (b) The Department of Justice shall act as a repository or computer center, or both, with respect to dental examination records and the final report of investigation specified in Section 27521 of the Government Code. The Department of Justice shall compare the dental examination records and the final report of investigation, if applicable, to records filed with the Violent Crime Information Center (Title 12 (commencing with Section 14200) of Part 4 of the Penal Code), shall determine which scoring probabilities are the highest for purposes of identification, and shall submit the information to the coroner or medical examiner who submitted the dental examination records and the final report of investigation, if applicable.