Section 43.410

Title V MILITARY AFFAIRS AND POLICE

Chapter 43

Effective - 28 Aug 1985   

  43.410.  Coroner to furnish fingerprints and dental records of certain deceased to highway patrol — duties of patrol — medical and dental records of missing child to be furnished to patrol. — 1.  Every county coroner or medical examiner promptly shall furnish the Missouri state highway patrol with copies of fingerprints on standardized fingerprint cards, personal descriptions and other identifying data, including date and place of death, of all deceased persons whose deaths are in a classification requiring inquiry by the coroner or medical examiner where the deceased is not identified or the coroner or medical examiner is not satisfied with the decedent's identification.  In any case where it is not physically possible to furnish prints of the ten fingers of the deceased, prints or partial prints of any fingers with other identifying data shall be forwarded by the county coroner or medical examiner to the highway patrol.

  2.  In addition to the foregoing provisions of this section, the county coroner or medical examiner shall cause a dentist to carry out a dental examination of the deceased.  The coroner or medical examiner shall forward the dental records to the Missouri state highway patrol on a form supplied by the highway patrol for such purpose.

  3.  The Missouri state highway patrol shall compare the fingerprints received from the county coroner or medical examiner to fingerprints on file with the Missouri state highway patrol or with other law enforcement agencies for purposes of attempting to determine the identity of the deceased.  Other descriptive data supplied with the fingerprints shall also be compared to records concerning missing persons.  The highway patrol shall submit the results of the comparisons to the appropriate coroner or medical examiner and if a tentative or positive identification is made, to the law enforcement authority which submitted the report of the missing person.

  4.  When any person makes a report of a missing child to a law enforcement authority, the authority shall request a member of the family or next of kin of the missing child to authorize the release of the medical and dental records of the person reported missing to the law enforcement agency making the initial report and to the Missouri state highway patrol.

  5.  The Missouri state highway patrol shall compare the dental records received from the coroner or medical examiner to dental records of missing children on file with the highway patrol or other law enforcement agency.  The department shall submit the results of the comparison to the coroner or medical examiner and if a tentative or positive identification is made, to the law enforcement authority which submitted the report of the missing child.

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(L. 1985 H.B. 366, et al. § 6)