K.S.A. » Chapter 22a
Kansas Statutes Annotated

K.S.A. § 22a-242 (2026)

Child death, notification of coroner; investigation of death and autopsy; notification to county or district attorney after finding suspicious circumstance or unkown cause; notification of parent or guardian; fee for autopsy; death certificate to state review board

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22a-242. Child death, notification of coroner; investigation of death and autopsy; notification to county or district attorney after finding suspicious circumstance or unkown cause; notification of parent or guardian; fee for autopsy; death certificate to state review board. (a) When a child dies, any law enforcement officer, health care provider or other person having knowledge of the death shall immediately notify the coroner of the known facts concerning the time, place, manner and circumstances of the death. If the notice to the coroner identifies any suspicious circumstances or unknown cause, as described in the protocol developed by the state review board under K.S.A. 22a-243, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall immediately: (1) Investigate the death to determine whether the child's death included any such suspicious circumstance or unknown cause; and (2) direct a pathologist to perform an autopsy.

(b) If, after investigation and an autopsy, the coroner determines that the death of a child does not include any suspicious circumstances or unknown cause, as described in the protocol developed by the state review board under K.S.A. 22a-243, and amendments thereto, no further action by the coroner is required.

(c) If, after investigation and an autopsy, the coroner determines that the death of a child includes any suspicious circumstance or unknown cause, as described in the protocol developed by the state review board under K.S.A. 22a-243, and amendments thereto, the coroner shall notify, within 24 hours, the county or district attorney of the county where the death of the child occurred.

(d) The coroner shall attempt to notify any parent or legal guardian of the deceased child prior to the performance of an autopsy pursuant to this section. Once the autopsy has been completed, the coroner shall immediately notify the parent or legal guardian that such autopsy has been completed and provide information on how to obtain the results.

(e) A coroner shall not make a determination that the death of a child less than one year of age was caused by sudden unexplained infant death syndrome unless an autopsy is performed.

(f) The fee for an autopsy performed under this section shall be the usual and reasonable fee and travel allowance authorized under K.S.A. 22a-233, and amendments thereto, and shall be paid from the district coroners fund.

(g) The secretary for health and environment shall provide a copy of the death certificate to the state child death review board that meets requirements developed by the board pursuant to K.S.A. 22a-243, and amendments thereto.

History: L. 1992, ch. 312, § 32; L. 1994, ch. 279, § 27; L. 2002, ch. 119, § 1; L. 2024, ch. 49, § 1; July 1.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3 cases, 2004–2018 · leading case: Aid for Women v. Foulston, 327 F. Supp. 2d 1273 (D. Kan. 2004).
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Aid for Women v. Foulston, 327 F. Supp. 2d 1273 (D. Kan. 2004). “(d) Any person who is required by this section to report an injury to a child and who knows of the death of a child shall notify immediately the coroner as provided by K.S.A. 22a-242, and amendments thereto. (e) Reports of child abuse or neglect occurring in an institution…”
Funk v. Pinnacle Health Facilities XXXII., LP, 353 F. Supp. 3d 1138 (D. Kan. 2018). “The coroner is empowered to act where: the death is suspected to have been the result of violence, caused by unlawful means or by suicide, or by casualty, or suddenly when the decedent was in apparent health, or when decedent was not regularly attended by a licensed physician,…”
State v. Lackey, 120 P.3d 332 (Kan. 2005). “suspected to have been the result of violence, caused by unlawful means or by suicide, or by casualty, or suddenly when the decedent was in apparent health, or when decedent was not regularly attended by a licensed physician, or in any suspicious or unusual manner, or when in…”
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