常见问题
在家庭成员死亡后，验尸官办公室经常被问及许多问题. Here are some of the most common questions and the answers:
When does the Coroner's Office become involved?
州法律要求在某些情况下发生死亡时通知验尸官. The Coroner performs an investigation and arrives at the cause and manner of death, and either completes or arranges the completion of the death certificate. 佐治亚州法律要求县验尸官调查情况并确定所有死亡的原因和死亡方式，包括:
- Sudden, when a person is in apparent good health
- 不是在医生的照顾下
- 可疑的，不寻常的或无法解释的
- 暴力的结果
- Unlawful or due to criminal neglect
死亡方式是什么意思?
There are five determinations for manner of death:
- Homicide - the death was caused by the actions of another person.
- 自然-死亡是由于疾病或医疗条件，如癌症或心脏病发作.
- 意外的——意外死亡
- Suicide - a death that is intentionally self-inflicted
- Undetermined - there is little or no evidence to establish, with medical
Many people, including the media, confuse the terms homicide and murder. Murder is a criminal charge or the unlawful taking of a human life by another. After the coroner determines the manner of death to be a homicide, 然后，执法部门对死亡进行调查，以确定是否有可能对造成死亡的人提出谋杀的刑事指控. While all murders are homicides, not all homicides are murders. 如果房主, 担心他或她的生命, kills an intruder or a law enforcement officer kills someone in the line of duty, both are considered homicides but not necessarily murder.
我的爱人被带到哪里去了?
在大多数情况下，死者被送到家属选择的殡仪馆. Should a funeral home be unavailable to receive the deceased, the Coroner’s Office will transport to the county morgue. 如果需要尸检的话, 死者被送往位于迪凯特的乔治亚州调查局办公室. Autopsies are performed by pathologists/forensic pathologists. 所有调查完成后，死因裁判官办事处会将死者移交家属选择的殡仪馆.
我需要确认尸体的身份吗?
死者的身份通常是通过家人或熟人的视觉识别以外的方法确定的, 也不需要视觉识别. Only in very rare cases are such identifications required. In the majority of cases, visual identification is not required. If visual identification is required, you will be notified by the Coroner’s office.
允许观看吗??
验尸官办公室强烈反对在死者被送往殡仪馆之前观看. Should a decedent require further investigation by the 法医; no viewing is permitted. This process is required for maintaining proper medical legal protection.
什么是尸检?
An autopsy is a post-mortem medical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of the body in order to determine or assist in determining the cause and manner of a person's death; it can also provide information on the presence of diseases or injuries that may have been contributing mortality factors. An autopsy is performed by a pathologist or forensic pathologist.
Who decides if an autopsy is required?
The law. 根据法律, the cause and manner of death must be determined for every death, 在大多数非暴力案件中, 我们利用死者的医疗记录和家族史中的医疗信息来确定最可能的死因. 如果不能从这些来源获得医学证据，则需要进行尸检.
Do I have to pay for an autopsy to be done?
No. 在死因裁判官管辖范围内进行的尸体解剖，家属毋须收费.
How do I obtain a Coroner’s report, autopsy report and toxicology report?
In most cases the Coroner’s report is available within three business days. Simple autopsy reports such as heart attacks or strokes, where the cause of death is obvious are normally ready within thirty days. 尸检报告一般在死亡之日起三至四个月内提供. The results of Toxicology and other studies can take longer. 尸检报告的一份副本可以在乔治亚州调查局公开记录部门找到. Immediate next of kin means one of the following in this order: spouse, adult child, parent, 兄弟/姐妹, niece/nephew. 请将您的请求以书面形式提交给乔治亚州调查局公开记录办公室. 尸检报告可能需要长达26周的时间，这取决于所做的测试的水平和类型.
公开档案组
乔治亚州调查局
潘瑟斯维尔路3121号
迪凯特，乔治亚州30034
You can also Fax your request to 404-270-8529 or Email your request to OpenRecords@gbi.state.ga.us
我所爱的人要多久才能离开死因裁判官的管辖范围?
这取决于一天中桃县验尸官办公室接到通知并行使管辖权的时间, the medical information available to the Coroner at that time, and the circumstances surrounding the death, the body may be released the same day or later on the next day. In cases of suspicious deaths or deaths that require further investigation, your loved one’s remains may be held for additional time. 州法律规定，在被授权人提出释放要求后不迟于24小时释放遗骸，除非在此之前是治安官, 法医, 或者验尸官写了一份书面报告，认为死者的死亡可能与谋杀有关.
什么是未决案件?
Pending means that the cause and manner of death are still under investigation. 待决案件可能在短短两天内得到解决，也可能在几个月内悬而未决. The average pending case in Georgia is cleared in six to eight weeks. If you are the next of kin and you move or change your phone number, 请务必致电706-613-3999通知我们的办公室，以便在未决案件完成时第一时间通知您.
What happens to the personal property of the deceased?
一旦最近的亲属关系确立或法院命令发布，指定某人为遗产管理人，所有财产就被释放给该人或该人.
What happens to the prescription drugs issued to the deceased?
联邦法律规定，持有非处方药物是违法的, therefore, 当一个人死亡时，发给死者的所有药物都被取出并销毁.
Who can authorize the release of remains after an investigation?
The deceased will only be released to a licensed funeral director. 重要的是，近亲应尽快选择一名葬礼承办人，并致电478-825-2424通知本办公室. Contact by a funeral home is not sufficient. The next of kin is defined in the following order:
- Spouse - This is a husband or wife of a couple that is legally married; they may be separated but, not divorced
- Children of the deceased who are older than 18 years of age
- Parents
- Siblings
我怎样才能拿到死亡证明?
The funeral home selected by the family will generate a death certificate and send it to the coroner’s office for signature; we sign the certificate and return it to the funeral home which in turn files it with the Georgia Department of Health, 生命纪录组.
What should I do when the body is released by the coroner?
必须尽快选定殡仪馆，为死者安排葬礼. 这些专业人士知道你正在经历的困难和你所承受的压力, and will assist you with arrangements. When you contact the funeral director, advise them that the deceased is under the Coroner’s jurisdiction. 丧礼承办人会, in turn, contact our office and make arrangements to pick up your loved one. If you have any questions or if we can assist you, please call 478-825-2424.
Does the Coroner's office assist with funerals?
在大多数情况下，答案是否定的. 监护死者并埋葬尸体是死者家属的责任. 即使死者没有投保，死因裁判官办公室也没有责任为其家庭成员下葬.
What if I can't afford funeral arrangements?
If your loved one did not have burial funds, the next-of-kin may ask for assistance in government and private sources. Your funeral home can provide you that information.
军事利益呢??
People who served in the Armed Forces may be entitled to veterans benefits. Seek more information from the Veterans Administration (VA) at www.cem.va.gov. Your funeral home will also have that information.
Will I still be able to have an open casket service if an autopsy is performed?
Yes. 尸检以专业的方式进行，不会干扰以正常方式观察死者.
无人认领的尸体怎么办?
如果死亡发生在过去几个小时内，尸体可以或已经被移至冷藏(停尸房)，并且没有找到近亲，尸体可以移交给科学研究或教学目的. Some unclaimed bodies are buried in the "Paupers Cemetery" by the Coroner's Office.