well i don't know how it works elsewhere, but here in the northeast the body supposedly has to cool off to a certain temperature, and a medical examiner has to declare 'death'
ems, btw, has never been given the holy water, technically a person can be in two pieces , and they aren't legally deceased on our watch
this can kind s*ck too, for instance someone finds a friend/relative down, and starts cpr, we're bound by law to continue, even if rigor and lividity is obvious
obviously, we're all litigant challenged sorts, or we'd have this issue figured out, eh?
~S~
