§ 19-15-3.County review committee; chairperson; eligible deaths for review; notification to coroner; reporting to chairperson; committee review

Chapter 15. Child Abuse · Last amended 2026 · Last verified October 9, 2026

In one sentenceO.C.G.A. § 19-15-3 requires a child fatality review committee for every Georgia county, lists which child deaths it reviews, sets notice duties for coroners and medical examiners, and fixes deadlines for the committee’s reviews, referrals to the district attorney and annual reports.

Full Text of § 19-15-3

Text sizeJump to: (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k) (l)

(a)

(1) Each county shall establish a local review committee as provided in this Code section. The review committee shall be charged with reviewing all deaths as set forth in subsection (e) of this Code section to identify opportunities for intervention and to make recommendations for measures to prevent future deaths in similar incidents. The chief superior court judge of the circuit in which the county is located shall establish a review committee composed of, but not limited to, the following members:

(A) The county medical examiner or coroner;

(B) The district attorney or his or her designee;

(D) A local law enforcement representative;

(E) The sheriff or county police chief or his or her designee;

(F) A juvenile court representative;

(G) A county public health department representative;

(H) A county mental health representative or local hospital representative; and

(I) A local school system representative.

(2) The district attorney or his or her designee shall serve as the chairperson to preside over all meetings.

(b) Review committee members shall recommend whether to establish a review committee for that county alone or establish a review committee with and for the counties within that judicial circuit.

(c) The chief superior court judge shall appoint persons to fill any vacancies on the review committee should the membership fail to do so.

(d) If any designated agency fails to carry out its duties relating to participation on the review committee, including attendance of an agency representative at annual training, the chief superior court judge of the circuit or any superior court judge who is a member of the panel shall issue an order requiring the participation of such agency. Failure to comply with such order shall be cause for punishment as for contempt of court.

(e) Deaths eligible for review by review committees are all deaths of children ages birth through 17 as a result of:

(1) Sudden death when an infant is in apparent good health, including sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexplained infant death, and sleep related infant death;

(2) Any unexpected or unexplained conditions;

(3) Unintentional injuries;

(4) Intentional injuries;

(5) Sudden death when the child is in apparent good health;

(6) Any manner that is suspicious or unusual;

(7) Medical conditions when unattended by a physician. For the purpose of this paragraph, no person shall be deemed to have died unattended when the death occurred while the person was a patient of a hospice licensed under Article 9 of Chapter 7 of Title 31;

(8) Serving as an inmate of a state hospital or a state, county, or city penal institution; or

(9) Child abuse.

(f) It shall be the duty of any law enforcement officer, medical personnel, or other person having knowledge of the death of a child to immediately notify the coroner or medical examiner of the county wherein the body is found or death occurs.

(g) If the death of a child occurs outside the child's county of residence, it shall be the duty of the medical examiner or coroner in the county where the child died to notify the medical examiner or coroner in the county of the child's residence.

(h) When a county medical examiner or coroner receives a report regarding the death of any child, he or she shall within seven days of receiving notice of the child's death send notification and a preliminary report containing all available information to the chairperson of the review committee for the county or circuit in which such child resided at the time of death.

(i) The chairperson shall convene the review committee every 30 days to review reports received pursuant to subsection (h) of this Code section and investigate the circumstances of all such child deaths which meet the criteria for review under subsection (e) of this Code section. If it is unclear to the review committee whether a case meets the criteria under subsection (e) of this Code section, the review committee may request consultation from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for clarification and guidance in the use of such criteria; provided, however, that the final determination as to whether a case meets such criteria shall be made by the review committee. Review committee members shall provide information as specified in this subsection, except where otherwise protected by law:

(1) The providers of medical care and the medical examiner or coroner shall provide pertinent health and medical information regarding a child whose death is being reviewed by the review committee;

(2) State, county, or local government agencies shall provide all of the following data on forms designated by the panel for reporting child fatalities:

(A) Birth information for children who died at less than one year of age, including confidential information collected for medical and health use;

(B) Death information for children who have not reached their eighteenth birthday;

(C) Law enforcement investigative data, medical examiner or coroner investigative data, and parole and probation information and records;

(D) Medical care, including dental, mental, and prenatal healthcare; and

(E) Pertinent information from any social services agency that provided services to the child or family; and

(3) The review committee may obtain from any superior court judge of the county or circuit for which the review committee was created a subpoena to compel the production of documents or attendance of witnesses when that judge has made a finding that such documents or witnesses are necessary for the review committee's review. Service of, objection to, and enforcement of subpoenas authorized by this Code section shall be governed by the procedures set forth in Chapter 13 of Title 24. However, this Code section shall not modify or impair the privileged communications as provided by law except as otherwise provided in Code Section 19-7-5.

(4) Disclosure of protected health information pursuant to this subsection shall be considered to be for a law enforcement purpose, and the review committee shall be considered to be a law enforcement official within the meaning of the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Disclosure of confidential or privileged matter to the review committee pursuant to this Code section shall not serve to destroy or in any way abridge the confidential or privileged character thereof, except for the purpose for which such disclosure is made.

(j) The review committee shall complete its review and prepare a report of the child's death within 90 days, weekends and holidays excluded, following the first meeting held after receipt of the county medical examiner or coroner's report. The review committee's report shall:

(1) State the circumstances leading up to death and identify opportunities for intervention and prevention;

(2) Detail any agency involvement prior to death, including the beginning and ending dates and kinds of services delivered, the reasons for initial agency activity, and the reasons for any termination of agency activities;

(3) State whether any agency services had been delivered to the family or child prior to the circumstances leading to the child's death;

(4) State whether court intervention had ever been sought;

(5) State whether there have been any acts or reports of violence between past or present spouses, persons who are parents of the same child, parents and children, stepparents and stepchildren, foster parents and foster children, or other persons living or formerly living in the same household;

(6) Conclude whether services or agency activities delivered prior to death were appropriate;

(7) Make recommendations for possible interventions that may prevent future deaths of similar incidents for children who are at risk for such deaths; and

(8) Include other findings as requested by the panel.

(k) The review committee shall transmit a copy of its report within 15 days following its completion to the district attorney of the county or circuit for which the review committee was created if the report concluded that the child named therein died as a result of:

(1) Sudden death when an infant is in apparent good health, including sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexplained infant death, and sleep related infant death, when no autopsy was performed to confirm the diagnosis;

(2) Accidental death when it appears that the death could have been prevented through intervention or supervision;

(3) Any sexually transmitted disease;

(4) Medical causes which could have been prevented through intervention by an agency or by seeking medical treatment;

(5) Suicide of a child in custody or known to the Department of Human Services or when the finding of suicide is suspicious;

(6) Suspected or confirmed child abuse;

(7) Trauma to the head or body; or

(8) Homicide.

(l)

(1) Each review committee shall issue an annual report no later than July 1 each year. The report shall:

(A) Specify the numbers of reports received by such review committee from a county medical examiner or coroner pursuant to subsection (h) of this Code section for the preceding calendar year;

(B) Specify the number of reports of child fatality reviews prepared by the review committee during such period; and

(C) Be published at least once annually in the legal organ of the county or counties for which the review committee was established or a publicly available website with the expense of such publication paid each by such county.

(2) Each review committee shall transmit a copy of its annual report to the panel no later than July 15 each year.

End

Plain-English Summary

Each Georgia county must have a child fatality review committee. Its job is to review children’s deaths, find points where someone could have stepped in, and recommend ways to prevent similar deaths. The chief superior court judge of the circuit sets up the committee with at least these members: the medical examiner or coroner; the district attorney or a designee, who chairs every meeting; the sheriff or county police chief or a designee; and representatives of the county DFCS office, local law enforcement, the juvenile court, county public health, county mental health or a local hospital, and the local school system. The members recommend whether to serve the county alone or the whole circuit, and the chief judge fills vacancies if they don’t. If an agency fails to take part, including sending someone to annual training, the chief judge or any superior court judge on the state panel shall order it to participate, on pain of contempt.

The committee reviews deaths of children from birth through age 17 that result from nine listed causes, among them sudden infant deaths (including SIDS and sleep-related deaths), unexpected or unexplained conditions, unintentional or intentional injuries, suspicious or unusual circumstances, medical conditions when no physician attended, being an inmate of a state hospital or penal institution, and child abuse. A death while the child was a patient of a licensed hospice doesn’t count as unattended.

The process runs on deadlines. Anyone who knows of a child’s death must immediately notify the coroner or medical examiner where the body is found or the death occurs; if the child died outside the home county, that official notifies the home county’s counterpart. Within seven days of notice, the coroner or medical examiner sends a preliminary report to the committee chair where the child lived. The chair convenes the committee every 30 days. If the committee is unsure whether a death qualifies, it may consult the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, but the committee decides. Medical providers and government agencies must supply listed records unless other law protects them, and a superior court judge may issue a subpoena after finding the documents or witnesses necessary. Sharing information with the committee doesn’t destroy its confidential or privileged character, except for the purpose of the disclosure, and the committee counts as a law enforcement official under federal HIPAA rules.

Within 90 days, weekends and holidays excluded, after the first meeting following receipt of the coroner’s or medical examiner’s report, the committee completes a report covering the circumstances, prior agency and court involvement, any household violence, whether services were appropriate, and prevention recommendations. Within 15 days after completing it, the committee sends it to the district attorney if the death resulted from one of eight listed causes, such as suspected abuse, homicide or a preventable accident. By July 1 each year the committee issues an annual report, publishes it in the county’s legal organ or on a public website at county expense, and sends it to the state panel by July 15. The section was amended in 2026, effective July 1, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which child deaths does a child fatality review committee review in Georgia?

Deaths of children from birth through age 17 that result from any of nine listed causes: sudden infant death (including SIDS, sudden unexplained infant death and sleep-related death); unexpected or unexplained conditions; unintentional injuries; intentional injuries; sudden death of a child in apparent good health; any suspicious or unusual manner; medical conditions when no physician attended; serving as an inmate of a state hospital or a state, county or city penal institution; and child abuse.

Who has to report a child’s death to the coroner in Georgia?

Any law enforcement officer, medical personnel or other person who knows of a child’s death has a duty to immediately notify the coroner or medical examiner of the county where the body is found or the death occurs. If the child died outside the county where the child lived, the coroner or medical examiner where the child died must notify the one in the child’s home county.

How long does a child fatality review take in Georgia?

The committee must complete its review and prepare its report within 90 days, weekends and holidays excluded, following the first meeting held after it receives the coroner’s or medical examiner’s report. The coroner or medical examiner sends that preliminary report within seven days of learning of the death, and the chair convenes the committee every 30 days. If the report must go to the district attorney, it goes within 15 days after completion.

When does a child fatality review committee send its report to the district attorney?

When the report concludes the child died as a result of one of eight listed causes: sudden infant death with no autopsy to confirm the diagnosis; an accident that intervention or supervision could have prevented; a sexually transmitted disease; preventable medical causes; suicide of a child in custody of or known to the Department of Human Services, or a suspicious suicide; suspected or confirmed child abuse; trauma to the head or body; or homicide. The committee must send it within 15 days after completing it.

Can a child fatality review committee get a child’s medical records?

Usually, yes. Medical providers and the coroner or medical examiner must provide pertinent health and medical information, and government agencies must provide listed records, except where otherwise protected by law. The committee may also get a subpoena from a superior court judge who finds the documents or witnesses necessary. The section treats these disclosures as made for a law enforcement purpose under federal HIPAA rules, and sharing them doesn’t destroy their confidential or privileged character except for the purpose of the disclosure.

Amendment History

Laws 1990, p. 1785, § 1; Laws 1991, p. 94, § 19; Laws 1993, p. 1695, § 2; Laws 1993, p. 1941, § 1; Laws 1998, p. 609, § 2; Laws 1999, p. 81, § 19; Laws 2001, p. 1158, § 1; Laws 2003, Act 105, § 1, eff. July 1, 2003; Laws 2008, Act 430, § 1, eff. July 1, 2008; Laws 2009, Act 102, § 2-2, eff. July 1, 2009; Laws 2014, Act 476, § 2-5, eff. July 1, 2014; Laws 2026, Act 421, § 1, eff. July 1, 2026.

Formerly Code 1981, § 19-1-3.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, enacted by the Georgia General Assembly, and checked word for word against the Georgia Code Revision Commission’s public-domain edition and the acts that later amended it. Section headings are the Code’s official catchlines. Last verified October 9, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: child fatality review committee georgiageorgia child death reviewcoroner report child death georgiasids death review georgiachild death investigation georgia county