(1) The director shall appoint a state physical anthropologist. At a minimum, the state physical anthropologist must have a doctorate in either archaeology or anthropology and have experience in forensic osteology or other relevant aspects of physical anthropology and must have at least one year of experience in laboratory reconstruction and analysis. A medical degree with archaeological experience in addition to the experience required may substitute for a doctorate in archaeology or anthropology.

(2) The state physical anthropologist has the primary responsibility of investigating, preserving, and, when necessary, removing and reinterring discoveries of nonforensic skeletal human remains. The state physical anthropologist is available to any local governments or any federally recognized tribal government within the boundaries of Washington to assist in determining whether discovered skeletal human remains are forensic or nonforensic.

(3) The director shall hire staff as necessary to support the state physical anthropologist to meet the objectives of this section.

(4) For the purposes of this section, "forensic remains" are those that come under the jurisdiction of the coroner pursuant to RCW 68.50.010.

Reporting requirements—2008 c 275: See note following RCW 68.50.645.