51 Pa.C.S. Ch. 94

in effect

51 Pa.C.S. § 9401 Federal findings of death or other status as evidence.

A written finding of missing in action or presumed death made by the Department of Defense, or an officer or employee of the United States authorized to make such finding pursuant to the Federal Missing Persons Act (56 Stat. 143, 1092, and Public Laws, 408, Ch. 371, 2d Sess. 78th Cong. 50 U.S.C.App.Supp. 1001-17), as now or hereafter amended, or a duly certified copy of such finding shall be received in any court, office, or other place in this Commonwealth as prima facie evidence of the death of the person therein found to be missing in action or dead, and the date, circumstances, and place of his disappearance. Cross References. Section 9401 is referred to in sections 9402, 9403 of this title.

51 Pa.C.S. § 9402 Federal reports of persons missing in action or interned as evidence.

An official written report, or record, or duly certified copy thereof, that a person is missing in action, interned in a neutral country, or beleaguered, besieged, or captured by an enemy, or is dead, or is alive, made by any officer, or employee of the United States authorized by the statute referred to in section 9401 (relating to Federal findings of death or other status as evidence), or by any other law of the United States to make same, shall be received in any court, office, or other place in this Commonwealth as prima facie evidence that such person is missing, missing in action, interned in a neutral country, or beleaguered, besieged, or captured by an enemy, or is dead, or is alive, as the case may be. Cross References. Section 9402 is referred to in section 9403 of this title.

51 Pa.C.S. § 9403 Signatures of Federal officers presumed authorized.

For the purposes of section 9401 (relating to Federal findings of death or other status as evidence) and section 9402 (relating to Federal reports of persons missing in action or interned as evidence), any finding, report, or record, or duly certified copy thereof purporting to have been signed by such an officer, or employee of the United States, as is described in sections 9401 and 9402, shall prima facie be deemed to have been signed and issued by such an officer, or employee, pursuant to law, and the person signing same shall prima facie be deemed to have acted within the scope of his authority. If a copy purports to have been certified by a person authorized by law to certify the same, such certified copy shall be prima facie evidence of his authority so to certify.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=HTM&ttl=51Fetched: 10/16/2026