Declaring the cause of death technically means what is put on the death certificate. According to your link she was not going to fill out the death certificate until after talking to the physician.
She is guilty of having loose lips/a big mouth in talking to the press before this. She was probably speculating on the likely cause of death based on the descriptions of the scene and events she had been told about by authorities who were there with the body. Since she is not a physician, it is not clear how it would have helped for her to view the body in person.
You can look a Texas law regarding inquests and autopsies here.
It sounds like if a physician who has recently been caring for a decedent says no autopsy is necessary that is normally what the Justice of the Peace will go with.
> You can look a Texas law regarding inquests and autopsies here.
I’ve done that.
I’ve reviewed news reports.
I have questions. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3397711/posts?page=143#143