No, California law does not require an autopsy for a known suicide. If the death is suspicious or reasons for death are unknown, an autopsy is required.
Any unattended death requires an autopsy
Autopsy after death is a way to precisely determine a cause of death.
Autopsy.
No. It depends on the laws of each state or country, but usually only for suspicious, violent or unatural deaths, deaths in care or custody, or the death was not reasonably expected to be the outcome of a health procedure. In the majority of deaths, an autopsy is not performed. Not every dead person has an autopsy. Only if the family wants to know what caused the death.
An autopsy is not required when a person has been under physicians care in a medical facility at the time of death. The exceptions would be, if the cause of death cannot be determined or if there is reason to believe negligence or a criminal act (such as assisted suicide) is involved. Immediate family members have the legal right to request an autopsy if they so choose whether the attending physician is in agreement or not.
The autopsy finding in the death of Rhonda Hart was natural causes. She was not sick with any disease such as cancer at the time of her death.
Autopsy.
There are several, varying criteria for autopsy in California. Suffice it to say that any unattended death (patient not being cared for in a medical facility or under immediate doctor's care) will require one. For furher info see link below:
Before declaring a cause of death, the officers waited for the autopsy results.
To determine cause of death if unknown.
suffocation