CA SB989

Authorizes family members (parents, siblings, or children) of deceased persons to provide written authorization to coroners for use of autopsy photographs in civil proceedings, in addition to legal heirs and representatives.

Requires law enforcement to interview family members and may request complete autopsies in suspicious deaths where the decedent had an identifiable history of domestic violence victimization and three or more specified risk factors are present, such as premature death, scene staging, or strangulation history.

Specifies that coroners must consider suicides with a history of domestic violence victimization as requiring inquiry, and permits consultation with board-certified forensic pathologists in such cases.

Requires sworn law enforcement personnel investigating deaths involving domestic violence history to maintain current training on domestic violence incidents.

Mandates that POST guidelines for law enforcement include indicators of domestic homicide in suspicious death cases and identification of staged crime scenes.