1. When a coroner or the coroners deputy is informed that a person has been killed, has committed suicide or has suddenly died under such circumstances as to afford reasonable ground to suspect that the death has been occasioned by unnatural means, the coroner shall make an appropriate investigation. 2. In all cases where it is apparent or can be reasonably inferred that the death may have been caused by a criminal act, the coroner or the coroners deputy shall notify the district attorney of the county where the inquiry is made, and the district attorney shall make an investigation with the assistance of the coroner. If the sheriff is not ex officio the coroner, the coroner shall also notify the sheriff, and the district attorney and sheriff shall make the investigation with the assistance of the coroner. 3. If it is apparent to or can be reasonably inferred by the coroner that a death may have been caused by drug use or poisoning, the coroner shall cause a postmortem examination to be performed on the decedent by a forensic pathologist unless the death occurred following a hospitalization stay of 24 hours or more. 4. A coroner may issue a subpoena for the production of any document, record or material that is directly related or believed to contain evidence related to an investigation by the coroner. 5. The holding of a coroners inquest is within the sound discretion of the district attorney or district judge of the county. An inquest need not be conducted in any case of death manifestly occasioned by natural cause, suicide, accident, motor vehicle crash or when it is publicly known that the death was caused by a person already in custody, but an inquest must be held unless the district attorney or a district judge certifies that no inquest is required. 6. If an inquest is to be held, the district attorney shall call upon a justice of the peace of the county to preside over it. The justice of the peace shall summon three persons qualified by law to serve as jurors, to appear before the justice of the peace forthwith at the place where the body is or such other place within the county as may be designated by him or her to inquire into the cause of death. 7. A single inquest may be held with respect to more than one death, where all the deaths were occasioned by a common cause.
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