A. Autopsy reports.

Open.

Coroners' autopsy reports are specifically excluded from the general medical records exemption under § 24-72-204(3)(a)(I). The Colorado Supreme Court has held that this section shows the clear intent of the legislature to classify autopsy reports as public records open to inspection. Denver Publishing Co. v. Dreyfus, 184 Colo. 288, 520 P.2d 104 (1974).

Autopsy reports are not criminal justice records. An autopsy report on a homicide victim may be withheld from public inspection by its custodian only under the procedure in the Open Records Act for denying access based on "substantial injury to the public interest." Freedom Newspapers Inc. v. Bowerman, 739 P.2d 881 (Colo. App. 1987); Bodelson v. Denver Post Corp., 5 P.3d 373 (Colo. App. 2000) (unique public grieving in the immediate aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre justifies non-disclosure of victims' autopsies).