22 U.S.C. § 2715b

1. (a)Whenever a United States citizen or national dies abroad, a consular officer shall endeavor to notify, or assist the Secretary of State in notifying, the next of kin or legal guardian as soon as possible, except that, in the case of death of any Peace Corps volunteer (within the meaning of section 2504(a) of this title), any member of the Armed Forces, any dependent of such a volunteer or member, or any Department of Defense employee, the consular officer shall assist the Peace Corps or the appropriate military authorities, as the case may be, in making such notifications.
2. (b)The consular officer may, for any United States citizen who dies abroad—
   1. (1)in the case of a finding of death by the appropriate local authorities, issue a report of death or of presumptive death; or
   2. (2)in the absence of a finding of death by the appropriate local authorities, issue a report of presumptive death.
3. (c)The Secretary of State shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section.