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Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 14, § 403.8. Failure to report the death of a child

Current as of January 01, 2023 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

A. It shall be unlawful for a child's caretaker to fail to report to an appropriate authority the death of a child that occurs while the child is in the physical custody of the caretaker, within one hour of the caretaker's discovery of the child's death or one hour of the caretaker learning of the location of the child's body.

B. For purposes of this Section:

(1) “Appropriate authority” includes:

(a) A state or local law enforcement agency.

(b) A 911 Public Safety Answering Point as defined in Title 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.

(c) The coroner of the parish in which the child's body is located.

(d) Emergency medical personnel.

(2) “Caretaker” means the child's parent, grandparent, legal guardian, or any person who, at the time of the child's death, has physical custody of the child.

(3) “Child” means any person under the age of seventeen years.

C. Whoever violates the provisions of this Section shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars and shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than five years.

D. The period of time in which a caretaker is required to report the death of a child as provided in Subsection A of this Section shall be suspended for the period of time in which the caretaker is unable to make a report due to circumstances beyond the caretaker's control.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 14, § 403.8. Failure to report the death of a child - last updated January 01, 2023 | https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-14-sect-403-8/

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