Forensic Pathologist
Investigative personnel, typically medical examiners or coroners, who investigate the cause, manner and time of death of a victim in a crime. A physician who has been trained to conduct autopsies
Cause of death
Identifies the injury or disease that led to the chain of events resulting in death
Forensic pathologists associated with the medical examiners' office are responsible for?
They are responsible for determining the cause of an undetermined or unexpected death
Who is the only member of the medical examiner's office allowed to perform an autopsy?
The pathologist
What are the tasks of the medical examiners' and coroner's office when examining a body during autopsy?
The tasks of examining a body for the cause and manner of death and recording the results in the death certificate.
What is the paramount importance for the body at a crime scene?
Protection of the body and the overall scene is of paramount importance, as is the ultimate removal of the body in a medically acceptable manner
A blunt force injury are caused by?
A blunt force injury is caused by a non-sharpened object such as a bat or pipe.
A laceration is caused by?
Tissue crushed by a blunt force to the point of tearing, an open wound.
What type of injury can sometime exhibit the weapon pattern?
Contusions and the bruises that come from that contusion
A sharp force injury occurs when?
A sharp force injury occurs from weapons with sharp edges, such as knives and blades.
What is the difference between a cut and stab?
A cut is formed when the weapon produces an injury that is longer than it is deep, in contrast, a stab is deeper than its length
What is asphyxia?
Asphyxia encompasses a variety of conditions that involve interference with the intake of oxygen
Petechiae
Pinpoint hemorrhaging often observed in the white area of the victim's eyes; often observed in strangulation cases
What do you observe when evaluating a gunshot wound?
When evaluating a gunshot wound, the estimated range of fire is one of the most important characteristic to analyze. The investigator will compare powder residue distribution around the wound to test fires collected from the inflicting firearm to make thi
What is the primary objective of the autopsy?
The primary objective of the autopsy is to determine the cause of death
What is the most important determination in a violent death?
The character of the injury that started the chain of events that resulted in death
What are the more common causes of death?
Blunt force trauma, sharp force trauma, asphyxia, gunshot wound, and substance abuse
What is an example of asphyxia if you are dealing with a crime scene related to fire?
Death at a fire scene if caused primarily by the extremely toxic gas, carbon monoxide
Because drug abuse is so common, a forensic pathologist will what?
A forensic pathologist will routinely order toxicological tests for the presence of drugs in nearly all autopsies
Autopsy
A surgical procedure performed by a pathologist on a dead body to ascertain --from the body, organs, and bodily fluids-- the cause of death
What needs to be documented during an autopsy?
Date, time, place, by whom the autopsy was performed, and who attended the autopsy
What does the forensic/medicolegal autopsy determine?
The cause of death and confirm matter of death, often to be used in criminal proceedings. The forensic autopsy usually emphasizes external and internal findings when developing meaningful forensic correlations between sustained injuries and the crime scen
What are some items that are collected to be sent to forensic laboratory?
Victim's clothing,
fingernail scraping,
combings from head and public areas,
blood,
vaginal, anal, and oral swabs,
bullets recovered from the body,
swabs of body areas suspected of being in contact with DNA arising from touching or saliva,
hand swabs from
What is the broadest definition of autopsy?
The examination of a body after death
What are the first steps taken for the external examination?
A broad overview of the condition of the body and the clothing
What does the dissection of a human body entail?
The removal of all internal organs through a Y-shaped incision beginning at the top of each shoulder and extending down to the public bone
What does the internal examination entail?
The internal examination entails weighing, dissecting, and sectioning each organ of the body
What can complicate the interpretation of postmortem blood levels?
Drugs redistributing or reentering the blood after death.
Manner of death
A determination made by a forensic pathologist of the cause of death. Five broad categories are homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, and undetermined
How is homicide defined?
A nonaccidental death resulting from grossly negligent, reckless, or intentional actions of another person
How is suicide defined?
Suicide is the result of an individual taking his or her life with lethal intention -- it must be demonstrated that the individual carried out the act alone
How is accidental death defined?
In all deaths ruled accidental, there must not be intent to cause harm through gross negligence on the part of the perpetrator or the victim
What are some forms of accidental death?
Drownings
Falls
Car accidents
What is the classification of a natural death?
A natural death includes disease and continual environmental abuse. This abuse can encompass various events, such as chronic drug and alcohol abuse or longtime exposure to natural toxins or asbestos
When is a death ruled undetermined?
A death is ruled undetermined only when a rational classification cannot be established
What are the five categories in which a death can be classified on a death certificate?
Homicide
Suicide
Accidental
Natural
Undetermined
Is death via drug abuse considered suicide?
Drug abuse is deliberately committed by a victim, it is not considered the cause of suicide unless it was clearly intended as a lethal act
What makes up a large percentage of accidental deaths?
Traffic accidents
What are the other two most common causes of accidental deaths?
Drug overdoses and drownings
Algor mortis
A process that occurs after death in which the body temperature continually cools until it reaches the ambient or room temperature
Livor mortis
A medical condition that occurs after death and results in the settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground
Rigor mortis
A medical condition that occurs after death and results in the stiffening of muscle mass. The rigidity of the body begins within twenty-four hours of death and disappears within thirty-six hours of death
How long does it take rigidity to subside?
About 36 hours under average conditions
Why is ocular fluid useful in determining time of death?
You can estimate time of death based on the potassium level in the ocular fluid
Forensic Anthropology
The use of anthropological knowledge of humans and skeletal structure to examine and identify human skeletal remains
How can you determine the sex of a decedent?
The sex of the decedent can be determined by the size and shape of various skeletal features, especially those of the pelvis and skull, or cranium.
What is the difference between the female and male pelvis?
Female pelvic bones tend to form a wider, more circular opening than that in a male pelvis because of a woman's child-bearing capabilities
How can you estimate the height of a victim?
The height of a victim when alive can be estimated by measuring the long bones of the skeleton, especially those in the lower limbs
Forensic entomology
The study of insect matter, growth patterns, and succession of arrival at a crime scene to determine the time since death
Postmortem interval (PMI)
The length of time that has elapsed since a person has died. if the time is not known, a number of medical or scientific techniques may be used to estimate it
How can forensic entomologists approximate time of death?
Forensic Entomologists can approximate how long a body has been left exposed by examining the stage of development of fly larvae on the body
How can you use food identification to determine decedent location prior to death?
The identification of food items in the stomach may help to determine the location of the decedent prior to death (i.e. during his or her last meal)
Where do insects colonize in general?
In general, insects first colonize the body's naturally moist orifices. However, if open wounds are present, they will colonize there first
How can the sequence of insect arrival at a decedent help with approximating the time of death?
Information about the arrival of other species of insects may also help determine the postmortem interval. The sequence of arrival of these groups depends mostly on the body's natural decomposition process