An autopsy center with offices in Beaumont, Conroe and Tyler has asked the state attorney general to determine whether it is subject to the Texas Public Information Act.

The Longview News-Journal has the story:

The Southeast Texas Forensic Center ... submitted the question to the state Oct. 6 after a Central Texas attorney document consultant requested autopsy reports from the center's Beaumont office in September and August.... (The center's attorney) argues the center is not a "governmental body," but instead provides services under a contract typical of vendors and purchasers.

It's easy to see how there could be some confusion.

The center's Web site says it was launched in 2003 "for the purpose of turning Jefferson County Morgue into a private business," opening locations in Conroe and Tyler the following year. The Beaumont (Jefferson County) location is housed at a county jail and does business as the Jefferson County Morgue, according to the Web site.

It will be interesting to see how the AG rules.

An aside: We don't want to be prudes when it comes to online content, but we noticed while perusing the Southeast Texas Forensic Center's Web site a tab linking to a "Gift Shop."

Strange. Are you going to inquire about a loved one, then buy a T-shirt to commemorate the event? Maybe the folks at the forensic center had the same thought, since the link no longer appears to work.