For the purposes of Sections 41-61-51 through 41-61-79, the following definitions shall apply:
“Certification of death” means signing the death certificate.
“Coroner” means the elected county official provided for in Sections 19-21-101 through 19-21-107.
“County medical examiner investigator” means a nonphysician trained and appointed to investigate and certify deaths affecting the public interest.
“County medical examiner” means a licensed physician appointed to investigate and certify deaths affecting the public interest.
“Death affecting the public interest” means any death of a human being where the circumstances are sudden, unexpected, violent, suspicious or unattended.
“Medical examiner” means the medical examiner system which is composed of the State Medical Examiner, county medical examiners and county medical examiner investigators collectively, and is a jurisdictional identifier, not a title, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
“Pronouncement of death” means the statement of opinion that life has ceased for an individual.
“State Medical Examiner” means the person appointed by the Commissioner of Public Safety pursuant to Section 41-61-55 to investigate and certify deaths that affect the public interest.
“Autopsy” means a postmortem examination.
“Postmortem examination” means an examination of a dead human body that may include the least invasive to most invasive methods based on the expertise and judgment of the pathologist handling the case.