ABSTRACT
Sometimes it is necessary for the medical examiner or coroner to perform an exhumation. This occurs because an autopsy was not performed prior to burial when one should have been performed, or because additional information comes to light to show that an autopsy performed prior to burial may have been done incorrectly or was inadequate. In many areas the medical examiner or coroner can order an exhumation without a court order, but in some areas the medical examiner or coroner must obtain a court order from a judge to do so.
