(a) In compliance with the provisions of Section 36-18-2, an autopsy or postmortem examination may be performed by a state medical examiner at the written direction of the Governor, the Attorney General, a circuit judge, or the Escambia County District Attorney or his or her authorized representative in any case in which the Attorney General or the district attorney is conducting a criminal investigation.
(b) A state medical examiner may authorize an autopsy or postmortem examination, or the autopsy may be performed by a state medical examiner, when the county medical examiner suspects the death is obscure or, in his or her opinion, an autopsy is advisable and in the public interest.