Sec. 19a-270. (Formerly Sec. 19-139). Bodies for anatomical purposes.

The first selectman of any town, the mayor of any city, the administrative head of any state correctional institution or the superintendent or person in charge of any almshouse, asylum, hospital, morgue or other public institution which is supported, in whole or in part, at public expense, having in his or her possession or control the dead body of any person which, if not claimed as provided in this section, would have to be buried at public expense, or at the expense of any such institution, shall, immediately upon the death of such person, notify such person's relatives thereof, if known, and, if such relatives are not known, shall notify the person or persons bringing or committing such person to such institution. An acute care hospital official shall, not later than seven days after the date on which such body came into his or her possession or control, and such other official shall, not later than twenty-four hours after the time such body came into his or her possession or control, give notice thereof to the Department of Public Health and shall deliver such body to The University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac University, the Yale University School of Medicine or the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic or its successor institution, as said department may direct and in accordance with an agreement to be made among said universities in such manner as is directed by said department and at the expense of the university receiving the body, if The University of Connecticut, Quinnipiac University, Yale University, or the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic or its successor institution, at any time within one year, has given notice to any of such officials that such bodies would be needed for the purposes specified in section 19a-270b; provided any such body shall not have been claimed by a relative, either by blood or marriage, or a legal representative of such deceased person prior to delivery to any of said universities. The university receiving such body shall not embalm such body for a period of at least forty-eight hours after death, and any relative, either by blood or marriage, or a legal representative of such deceased person may claim such body during said period. If any such body is not disposed of in either manner specified in this section, it may be cremated or buried. When any person has in his or her possession or control the dead body of any person which would have to be buried at public expense or at the expense of any such institution, he or she shall, within forty-eight hours after such body has come into his or her possession or control, file, with the registrar of the town within which such death occurred, a certificate of death as provided in section 7-62b, unless such certificate has been filed by a funeral director. Before any such body is removed to any of said universities, the official or person contemplating such removal shall secure a removal, transit and burial permit which shall be delivered with the body to the official in charge of such university, who shall make return of such removal, transit and burial permit in the manner provided in section 7-66.

(1949 Rev., S. 4214; 1953, 1955, S. 2143d; 1963, P.A. 642, S. 18; 1967, P.A. 53; 1969, P.A. 699, S. 24; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 85-613, S. 52, 154; P.A. 92-11; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 04-255, S. 18; P.A. 07-104, S. 6; P.A. 09-232, S. 23; P.A. 11-242, S. 41; P.A. 16-66, S. 24.)

History: 1963 act deleted sheriff, jailer and master of workhouse from list of officers required to notify relatives of death of person who may require burial at public expense; 1967 act added exception re bodies removed to universities under provisions of Sec. 7-70; 1969 act deleted county coroners, State Prison warden and state jail administrator from list of officers required to notify relatives of person's death and added to the list administrative heads of state correctional institutions; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec. 19-139 transferred to Sec. 19a-270 in 1983; P.A. 85-613 made technical change, substituting reference to Sec. 7-62b for reference to Sec. 7-62; P.A. 92-11 added the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic to list of institutions to which the section applies; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 04-255 replaced references to “burial or transit permit” with references to “burial transit removal permit” and deleted provision re no requirement to return body to town after removal to a university; P.A. 07-104 made technical changes and renamed burial transit removal permit as removal, transit and burial permit, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 09-232 replaced reference to Sec. 7-72 with reference to Sec. 7-66; P.A. 11-242 added Quinnipiac University to list of institutions to which section applies; P.A. 16-66 added provision re acute care hospital official to notify department not later than 7 days after date dead body that would have to be buried at public expense comes into official's possession or control and deliver body to university as directed by department, and made technical changes.

Notation

Cited. 194 C. 635.