Title VI — COUNTY, TOWNSHIP AND POLITICAL SUBDIVISION GOVERNMENT

58.010. Office of coroner (certain counties). — In each county of the state, except in counties of the second class which prior to January 1, 1975, have a population of more than one hundred twenty thousand and less than two hundred thousand, and counties of the first class not h…

58.020. Coroner, election — term of office (certain counties). — At the general election in the year 1948, and every four years thereafter, the qualified electors of the county at large in each county in this state in which a coroner is to be elected shall elect a coroner who sha…

58.030. Qualifications — declaration candidacy, requirements. — 1. No person shall be elected or appointed to the office of coroner unless such person: (1) Is a citizen of the United States; (2) Is over twenty-one years of age; (3) Has resided within the state for the whole year …

58.040. Vacancy filled by governor. — When any vacancy shall occur in the office of coroner by death, resignation, removal, refusal to act, or in any other manner, it shall be the duty of the governor to fill such vacancy by appointing some eligible person to such office. The per…

58.050. Oath — bond. — All coroners, before they enter upon the duties of their office, shall take the oath prescribed by the constitution, and shall give bond to the state of Missouri, in the penalty of at least one thousand dollars, with sufficient sureties, residents of the co…

58.060. Bond — sufficiency, how determined (certain counties). — The county commission shall, once in every year, in each county where a coroner is elected, examine into the sufficiency of the official bond given by the coroner, and the sureties thereto; and if it shall appear th…

58.070. Failure to give bond — office vacated. — If a coroner neglect to give bond and qualify within twenty days after his election, or shall fail to give bond when required under the preceding section, his office shall be deemed vacant. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 13230) Prior revi…

58.090. Salary in lieu of fees (certain second class counties). — In all counties of the second class in which a coroner is required by section 58.010, the coroner shall receive an annual salary in lieu of all fees, charges, emoluments, and money due to, or receivable by, the cor…

58.095. Compensation of county coroner — training expenses — compensation (noncharter counties). — 1. The county coroner in any county not having a charter form of government shall receive an annual salary computed on a basis as set forth in the following schedule, as well as any…

58.097. Classroom instruction and training, requirements. — 1. To fulfill the requirements established in section 58.095, each elected or appointed coroner, deputy coroner, and assistant to the coroner shall complete at least twenty hours of classroom instruction and training eac…

58.100. Fees (third and fourth class counties). — The coroner in counties of the third and fourth classes, shall charge and collect on behalf of the county every fee accruing to his office by law, except such fees as are chargeable to the county, and shall report and pay such fee…

58.120. Travel expense (counties of third and fourth classification). — In each county of the third and fourth classifications, the county commission shall allow the coroner, payable at the end of each month out of the county treasury, the amount provided under section 50.333 for…

58.160. Deputies, appointment, compensation. — The coroner, in all counties in this state in which a coroner is required by section 58.010 may have a deputy. In such counties which now contain or may hereafter contain a city of seventy-five thousand inhabitants and less than two …

58.180. To be conservator of the peace. — A coroner shall be a conservator of the peace throughout his county, and shall take inquests of violent and casual deaths happening in the same, or where the body of any person coming to his death shall be discovered in his county. ­­----…

58.190. To execute process when sheriff disqualified. — Every coroner, within the county for which he is elected or appointed, shall serve and execute all writs and precepts, and perform all other duties of the sheriff, when the sheriff shall be a party, or when it shall appear t…

58.200. Coroner to perform duties of sheriff when office is vacant, compensation. — When the office of sheriff shall be vacant, by death or otherwise, the coroner of the county is authorized to perform all the duties that are by law required to be performed by the sheriff, until …

58.205. Sheriff or chief deputy to perform coroner's duties, when. — The sheriff of the proper county or his chief deputy shall, in the temporary absence of the coroner and deputy for any reason, perform all the duties imposed by law upon the coroner. ­­-------- (L. 1951 p. 374 §…

58.206. Special deputy coroner or special deputy medical examiner may be appointed, when — record-keeping requirements. — 1. The coroner or medical examiner of any county or any city not within a county may, for a period not to exceed thirty days, appoint a special deputy coroner…

58.208. Death certificate fees, deposit in coroners' fund — use of moneys — fund created — state of emergency or disaster, request for reimbursement — grant program. — 1. (1) One dollar of the fee collected for any death certificate issued under section 193.265 shall be deposited…

58.215. Coroner to file death certificates with registrar of vital statistics, when — compensation for extra duty. — 1. In addition to all other duties imposed by law, the coroner of the City of St. Louis shall certify and file with the state registrar of vital statistics a death…

58.260. Coroner may issue warrant to summon coroner's jury, when. — Every coroner, having been notified of the dead body of any person, supposed to have come to his or her death by violence or casualty, being found within his county, may make out his or her warrant, directed to t…

58.270. Sheriff to execute warrant. — The sheriff to whom such warrant shall be directed shall forthwith execute the same, and shall repair to the place where the inquest is to be held at the time mentioned, and make return of the warrant, with his proceedings thereon, to the cor…

58.280. Failure to execute warrant — penalty. — Any sheriff failing to execute such warrant or to return the same shall forfeit and pay the sum of eight dollars. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 13233, A.L. 1945 p. 990) Prior revisions: 1929 § 11614; 1919 § 5922; 1909 § 2927

58.290. Failure of juror to appear — penalty. — Every person summoned as a juror, who shall fail to appear, or make a reasonable excuse to the coroner for his nonattendance, within five days after the time appointed within the warrant, shall forfeit and pay the sum of five dollar…

58.300. Coroner to administer an oath to the jurors. — The coroner shall administer an oath or affirmation to the jurors, in the following form: You solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will diligently inquire and true presentment make, how and by whom the person who here lies dea…

58.310. Charge to be given to jury by coroner. — As soon as the jury shall be sworn, the coroner shall give them a charge, upon their oaths, to declare of the death of the person, whether he or she died by felony or accident; and if of felony, who were the principals and who were…

58.320. Jury to remain together — exception. — When the jury are sworn they shall remain together, and proclamation shall be made for any persons who can give evidence to draw near, and they shall be heard; provided, however, when there are women members of a jury, they may separ…

58.330. Coroner to issue subpoenas. — Every coroner shall be empowered to issue his or her summons for witnesses, and such evidence, documents, and materials of substance, commanding them to come before him or her to be examined, and to declare their knowledge concerning the matt…

58.340. Coroner to administer oath to witnesses. — He or she shall administer to them an oath or affirmation in form as follows: You do swear (or affirm) that the evidence you shall give to the inquest, concerning the death of the person here dead, shall be the truth, the whole t…

58.350. Evidence to be reduced to writing. — The evidence of such witnesses shall be taken down in writing and subscribed by them, and if it relate to the trial of any person concerned in the death, then the coroner shall bind such witnesses, by recognizance, in a reasonable sum …

58.360. Jury to deliver verdict in writing. — The jury, having viewed the body by photographic, electronic, or other means, heard the evidence, and made all the inquiry in their power, shall draw up and deliver to the coroner their verdict upon the death under consideration, in w…

58.370. Death by felony — duty of coroner. — The coroner, upon an inquisition found before him of the death of any person by the felony of another, shall speedily inform one or more associate circuit judges of the proper county, or some judge or justice of some court of record, a…

58.375. Reports of coroner (certain counties) — solicitation regarding funeral arrangements prohibited — embalming of body required, when. — 1. In all counties in which a coroner is required by section 58.010, the coroner shall, upon holding an inquest and securing the jury's ver…

58.380. Coroner to issue a writ of attachment for witnesses, when. — Whenever it shall appear to the satisfaction of the coroner that any person, duly subpoenaed to appear before him at an inquest, shall have failed, without just cause, to attend as a witness in conformity to the…

58.390. Attachment, how served — fees to be paid, by whom. — Every such attachment may be directed to any constable or sheriff of the district, city or county in which the witness resides, and shall be executed in the same manner as a warrant in a criminal case, and the fees of t…

58.400. Sheriff unable to execute duties, warrant may be directed to householder. — If the sheriff is unable to execute the duties required by this chapter, the officer taking the inquest may direct his warrant to any householder of the county, who shall perform the duties of she…

58.410. Witnesses — discharged, when — may be fined or imprisoned, when. — If any witness so attached shall show reasonable excuse for not appearing, as required by the subpoena, he shall be discharged, either with or without the payment of the costs of the attachment, at the dis…

58.420. Coroner to notify witnesses to appear. — When an inquest shall be continued by the coroner, it shall be his duty forthwith to call before him all witnesses summoned in the case, and verbally notify such as may attend to appear before him, to testify at the inquest on the …

58.430. Witness attached may be discharged on bail. — When a writ of attachment, issued by the coroner, shall be executed, the officer may discharge such witness on his entering into recognizance to the state of Missouri, with sufficient bond, in the sum of one hundred dollars, w…

58.440. Refusal to testify — penalty. — Any person summoned as a witness to appear before the coroner, and attending, who shall refuse to give evidence which may be lawfully required to be given by such person, on oath or affirmation, may be committed to the city or county jail b…

58.445. Deaths due to motor vehicle or motorized watercraft accidents — report required when — tests for alcohol and drugs, when. — 1. If any person within a coroner's or medical examiner's jurisdiction dies within eight hours of, and as a result of, an accident involving a motor…

58.449. Test results, how used, released, when. — The contents of the report and results of any test made pursuant to the requirements or authorizations of sections 58.445 to 58.449 shall be used primarily for statistical purposes which do not reveal the identity of the deceased …

58.451. Death to be reported and investigated by coroner, certain counties, procedure — place of death, two counties involved, how determined — efforts to accommodate organ donation. — 1. When any person, in any county in which a coroner is required by section 58.010, dies and th…

58.452. Child's death under age eighteen, notice to coroner by persons having knowledge — referral to child fatality review panel, when — procedure for nonsuspicious death, form, duties — autopsy, child death pathologist, when — disagreement on need for autopsy, procedure — viola…

58.455. Death certificate, how furnished, form, where filed, when (certain counties). — The coroner, in all deaths supposed to have been caused by violence or in a suspicious or unusual manner or unusual circumstances by the action of chemical, thermal or electrical agents, or fo…

58.457. Penalty for failure to report death (certain counties). — Any person failing to supply the information required by section 58.451 is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not mo…

58.460. Disposition of body a duty of coroner, when. — Whenever an inquest shall be held, or any case in which the coroner is involved, if there be no relative or friend of the deceased, nor any person willing to bury the body, nor any person whose duty it is to attend to such bu…

58.470. Death by poisoning — coroner may have analysis and examination made. — Whenever an inquest shall be held, and the coroner shall have good reason to believe that the deceased came to his death by poison administered by the hand of some person other than the deceased, he ma…

58.490. Unclaimed money or property found on deceased, turned over to public administrator by coroner. — The coroner, within thirty days after an inquest upon a dead body, shall deliver to the county or city public administrator any money or other property that may be found upon …

58.500. Duty of public administrator on receipt of money or property. — Upon delivery of any money to the public administrator, he or she shall follow the procedures as set out in section 473.743. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 13267, A.L. 2007 S.B. 22 merged with S.B. 497) Prior revisi…