COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – The Kootenai County Coroner Office said Tuesday they will not do an autopsy on a woman who died in a car crash near Worley on June 1.
Tribal attorneys asked officials to not do an autopsy on Olivia Pakootas, 21, because it "violates their cultural traditions and religious beliefs."
Officials said Pakootas was traveling westbound when she failed to negotiate a curve and hit a guardrail. They said she left the roadway and overturned in a field. Authorities said Pakootas was ejected from the car and was not wearing a seatbelt.
Tribal officials said under Idaho state law, the coroner can decline to perform an autopsy for religious and cultural reasons. Tribal leaders said there is no criminal investigation and there is no reason for the autopsy to take place against the wishes of the family. They also said because Pakootas is a Coeur d’Alene Tribal member, there are no jurisdictional reasons to proceed with an autopsy because the accident happened on the reservation.
The coroner’s office said Tuesday they typically send all fatal crash autopsies to Spokane County because they do not have a medical examiner.
Pakootas was a star player on the Tekoa-Oakesdale girls’ basketball team. During her time there, they reached the WIAA 1B title game in 2014.
In a release, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe said Pakootas' body was back home with her family.