Art. 49A.062 AUTHORITY TO DISINTER BODY

If someone is buried before the required inquest happens, a justice of the peace has the power to order the body dug up so the inquest can be done properly. This applies when a death should have been investigated under the rules for certain deaths, but for some reason the investigation didn't happen before burial.

This rule exists to make sure important deaths don't get missed just because burial happened too quickly. If there are questions about how someone died, and the law says an inquest was needed, burying the body doesn't stop officials from getting the answers they need. The justice of the peace can step in later and order the body exhumed so a proper investigation can still take place.