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Texas Statutes (Last Updated: January 4, 2014) |
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FAMILY CODE |
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Title 5. THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP AND THE SUIT AFFECTING THE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP |
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Subtitle E. PROTECTION OF THE CHILD |
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Chapter 264. CHILD WELFARE SERVICES |
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Subchapter F. CHILD FATALITY REVIEW AND INVESTIGATION |
Sec. 264.514. PROCEDURE IN THE EVENT OF REPORTABLE DEATH
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(a) A medical examiner or justice of the peace notified of a death of a child under Section 264.513 shall hold an inquest under Chapter 49, Code of Criminal Procedure, to determine whether the death is unexpected or the result of abuse or neglect. An inquest is not required under this subchapter if the child's death is expected and is due to a congenital or neoplastic disease. A death caused by an infectious disease may be considered an expected death if:
(1) the disease was not acquired as a result of trauma or poisoning;
(2) the infectious organism is identified using standard medical procedures; and
(3) the death is not reportable to the Texas Department of Health under Chapter 81, Health and Safety Code.
(b) The medical examiner or justice of the peace shall immediately notify an appropriate local law enforcement agency if the medical examiner or justice of the peace determines that the death is unexpected or the result of abuse or neglect, and that agency shall investigate the child's death.
(c) In this section, the terms "abuse" and "neglect" have the meaning assigned those terms by Section 261.001.