North Carolina bill seeks to restrict public and media access to criminal autopsy reports

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Access by the public and the media to North Carolina autopsy reports related to criminal investigations would be significantly restricted under a bill considered Tuesday by a legislative committee.

The proposal was debated by senators but not voted upon. It would explicitly add written autopsy reports from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to the list of documents exempt from public records when they are part of an investigative file held by prosecutors trying to solve a crime. The written reports could be accessed after a probe or prosecution is complete, one of the bill’s proponents said.

Those reports often provide the public with information about the details of a crime while a case is pending.

The bill also would repeal a state law that had allowed people to inspect and review — but not copy — autopsy photos, videos and recordings under supervision. Those records also would be considered within a prosecutor’s private case file if part of a crime investigation.

Robeson County Republican Sen. Danny Britt, a defense attorney and former prosecutor shepherding the bill, said the details were still being worked out between state health officials, a group representing district attorneys and others. An updated version was likely to emerge next week.

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