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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are your office hours? Our hours of operation at each location are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. 2. How can I contact someone after hours?
Beaumont Location:
If you are unable to reach someone at the Conroe and Tyler office please use the Beaumont pager and someone will return your call First you will need to select a funeral home and notify the Funeral Director that the death is being handled by either the Jefferson County Morgue in Beaumont, Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Conroe or Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Tyler. The legal next-of-kin must sign a release form at the funeral home authorizing the Jefferson County Morgue or Southeast Texas Forensic Center to release the body to the designated funeral home. This applies to either a burial or a cremation. 4. What are the hours your facility will release a body to a funeral home? Listed below are the times a funeral home may come and pickup bodies from each of our facilities. If it is necessary for a pickup on the weekend or after hours please contact us by using the following numbers:
Beaumont Location:
5. Is it necessary for me to identify the body? In most cases a visual identification of the body is not necessary. The only time we require a visual identification is when the remains are those of an unidentified person or when the identification has not been previously confirmed. 6. Is viewing of the body allowed? Unfortunately, our policy does not allow viewing at any of our facilities. You may be able to view the body at the funeral home. 7. How can I find out the cause of death? Autopsy’s ordered by a Justice of the Peace: All findings are under court order and are released back to the Justice of the Peace that ordered the autopsy. You may contact the Judge’s office to find the cause and manner of death. If you do knot know which Justice of the Peace ordered the autopsy, you may call us and we will be able to give you their name and phone number. Private Autopsy’s: All findings for a private autopsy will are release back to the authorized family member that ordered the autopsy. 8. How can I retrieve my loved one’s personal property? Any personal property received with the body that is not retained as evidence is released to the funeral home. In some instances the investigating agency may take possession of the property. 9. Who determines if an autopsy is necessary? We operated under a Justice of the Peace system, which means a Justice of the Peace is the person who authorizes and orders an autopsy. 10. Will I have to pay for an autopsy? There is no charge to the family if an autopsy is ordered by a Justice of the Peace; the county will be responsible for this charge. There is a charge to the authorized family member that requests a private autopsy. 11. What if an autopsy is not ordered and I would like an autopsy performed? If an autopsy is not ordered and the family wishes to have an autopsy performed, it is at the Pathologist’s digression whether or not to perform a private autopsy. In such cases, the family will have to contact a funeral home to make arrangements for a private autopsy. The family will be charged a set price for such service. 12. How can I get a copy of the Autopsy Report? Autopsy’s ordered by a Justice of the Peace: All findings are under court order and are released back to the Justice of the Peace that ordered the autopsy. You may contact the Judge’s office to obtain a copy of the autopsy report. If you do knot know which Justice of the Peace ordered the autopsy, you may call us and we will be able to give you their name and phone number. Private Autopsy’s: All findings for a private autopsy will are release back to the authorized family member that ordered the autopsy. 13. Why is it taking so long to find the cause and manner of death? When the cause and manner of death are determined by an autopsy, a preliminary report is faxed to the Justice of the Peace within the first business day. The average turn around time for an autopsy report is three to five business days. When the cause and manner of death is dependent upon toxicological studies and/or microscopic examination of tissue, the average time is two to three weeks. In some unfortunate circumstances, it takes longer to finalize results so the length of time cannot be predetermined. 14. How can I get a copy of the Death Certificate? The funeral home is responsible for filling out the Death Certificate and returning it to the Justice of the Peace to finalize. Either contact the funeral home that performed the service or the Justice of the Peace to obtain a copy of the Death Certificate. |
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