Global web ALERT button

Galveston County Medical Examiner For UTMB Galveston and League City Campus

You must notify the Galveston County Medical Examiner Office (GCMEO) if any of the following apply. This applies to all deaths including those of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) and all other incarcerated individuals.

If you are unsure if it’s a medical examiner case, call the Medical Examiner. The Medical Examiner office must be notified if any of the following criteria apply:

  • A patient dies within 24 hours of hospitalization;
  • A patient younger than 6 years of age dies (excluding stillborn);
  • You are uncertain of the circumstances of the death;
  • You suspect the death was by unlawful means;
  • Circumstances lead you to suspect the death by suicide;
  • Someone dies from unnatural causes, no matter how remote in time (verify from prior hospitalizations whether death resulted from an earlier trauma, accident, attempted suicide, near-drowning, poisoning, or burns); and/or
  • Dies during a medical procedure.
Contact Information for the GCMEO:
  • Monday – Friday 8 am to 4 pm call: (409) 770-5236
  • After 4 pm call X24004
GCMEO Contact Information

Address:
6607 Highway 1764
1205 Oak St., La Marque, TX 77568

Hours of Operation
Monday thru Friday, 8 am – 4 pm
Office: (409) 770-5236

After Hours: 4 pm - 8 am
Call: X24004 (page operator)

Chief Medical Examiner
Dr. Erin Barnhart
eabarnha@utmb.edu

Lead M.E. Investigator
D.J. Florence

Form 5012

Physicians may not certify any death that is not a natural (i.e. homicide, suicide, accident or unknown). Contact the Medical Examiner office for guidance if you are unsure as to the manner of death.

If the case is accepted by the GCMEO, do the following:

  • Inform the next-of-kin of that the medical examiner has taken jurisdiction;

  • Depending on the which UTMB Hospital location, the GCMEO will inform the staff where to transfer the decedent for the autopsy;

  • If the autopsy will be performed at UTMB Autopsy Service, complete Sections 3C (Disposition of the Body) and Section 5A & 5B of the Checklist on the FORM 5012, and send the medical records chart to UTMB Autopsy Service; and

  • If the autopsy will be performed at the GCMEO, the GCMEO will send their transport service and the body can be released directly from the unit.

The case is reported to Medical Examiner office, but they waive jurisdiction (Greensheet) if the authorizing next-of-kin makes the decision about the autopsy. Complete the all sections of the FORM 5012, Sections 1 through 5.