--- title: O.C.G.A. § 45-16-28. Performance of autopsy when not required under Code Section 45-16-24. collection: code id: 45-16-28 cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 45-16-28 (2025) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/45-16-28 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/45-16-28.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/45-16-28/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t45-(v33)-2016-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=cde47f8a_0#page=454 date: 2025 status: active corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68 license: CC0-1.0 publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/45-16.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/45-16-27.1.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/45-16-29.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md version: the only printed version in_force: true current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly heading_path: PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES / CORONERS / DEATH INVESTIGATIONS --- # O.C.G.A. § 45-16-28. Performance of autopsy when not required under Code Section 45-16-24. In the case of death of any person under such circumstances as would not require a medical examiner’s inquiry under Code Section 45-16-24, any physician who is duly licensed under the laws of this state or any other state having licensing requirements equal to or greater than those imposed by this state shall be deemed to have been legally authorized to perform an autopsy upon the body of a deceased person when such autopsy has been consented to by the person assuming custody of the body for the purposes of burial, such as the husband, wife, father, mother, child, guardian, next of kin, or, in the absence of any of the foregoing, a friend of such deceased person charged by law with the responsibility of burial. If two or more of such persons assume custody of the body, the consent of one of them shall be deemed sufficient legal authorization for the performance of the autopsy. ## History Ga. L. 1953, Jan.-Feb. Sess., p. 602, § 6; Ga. L. 1990, p. 1735, § 3.