Chapter 9

Question 0

This is the most important factor in determining the postmortem interval?

Answer 0

The environment

Question 1

Estimating time of death; Individual observation include: (5)

Answer 1

1) body temperature
2) rigor mortis
3) livor mortis
4) decompositional changes
5) stomach contents

Question 2

The SURVIVAL INTERVAL ( the time from injury or onset of the terminal illness or death) is best established by evaluating:

Answer 2

The types, severity and number of injuries present and the deceased’ response to them, taking into account pre-existing natural disease.

Question 3

Factors that will affect the rate of cooling include:

Answer 3

1) the size of the body
2) clothing and coverings
3) movement and humidity of the air
4) immersion in water

Question 4

In ocular change, the cornea becomes cloudy with two hours or less if the deceased dies with eyes open. If eyes are close, it will be:

Answer 4

12 to 24 hours

NOTE: On the third postmortem day, the cornea becomes opaque.

Question 5

After death, the body cools from its normal internal temperature of
98.6 F to the surrounding environmental temperature. This is called:

Answer 5

Algor mortis

Question 6

Within how many hours of death do muscles become increasingly rigid and the joints freeze - a condition called rigor mortis (or postmortem rigidity or rigor)

Answer 6

1 to 3 hours

Question 7

Rigor mortis is affected by: (2)

Answer 7

1) body temperature

2) metabolic rate

Question 8

A body is said to be in complete rigor when __________, ___________, and ____________ are immovable.

Answer 8

1) the jaw
2) the elbow
3) knee joints

Question 9

A body remains rigid for ____________ hours before the muscles begin to relax, apparently in the same order they stiffened.

Answer 9

24 to 36 hours

Question 10

Livor mortis is usually with ___________ after death.

Answer 10

30 minutes to 2 hours

Question 11

Livor mortis develops gradually, usually reaching its maximum coloration at:

Answer 11

8-12 hours

Question 12

Livor mortis is extremely important for three reasons:

Answer 12

1) estimate time of death
2) it may indicate that the body has been moved after death
3) the actual coloration of the skin may indicate the cause of death

Question 13

Color of the lividity is not purplish but a cherry color in cases of: (3)

Answer 13

1) carbon monoxide poisoning
2) certain forms of cyanide poisoning
3) extreme cold

Question 14

This is commonly called a “death grip”

Answer 14

Cadaveric spasm

Question 15

The different rate and types of decomposition a body undergoes depend on this:

Answer 15

The environment

Question 16

There are two ways to use insects to determine time since death. What are they?

Answer 16

1) dipteran blow fly larval developmental

2) insect succession over time

Question 17

The five most important types of wounds encountered by police officers in injury and death investigations are: (5

Answer 17

1) firearm wounds
2) incised wounds
3) stab wounds
4) puncture wounds
5) lacerations

Question 18

The slower the speed of the bullet, the _________ the entry opening in the body.

Answer 18

Smaller

Question 19

In a close shot, the distance of the muzzle is less than how many inches from the body.

Answer 19

18 inches

Question 20

Close shots with black powder show marks of burning up to a distance of _____________ and a distinct deposit of powder smoke up to 10 to 12 inches.

Answer 20

4 to 6 inches

Question 21

The size of the shot pattern on the body depends primarily on:

Answer 21

The choke of the gun

Question 22

This wound - more commonly referred to as a “cutting wound” -is inflicted with a sharp-edged instrument such as a knife or razor.

Answer 22

Incised wound

Question 23

The weapon typically employed in inflicting both incised and stab wounds is:

Answer 23

A pocketknife (although kitchen knives are also common)

Question 24

Cutting wounds are often found on the: (3)

Answer 24

1) arm
2) face
3) legs

Question 25

The severity of most incised wounds is directly related to: (3)

Answer 25

1) the shape and sharpness of the weapon
2) the part of the body being cut
3) the amount of force used in striking the victim

Question 26

This wound is typically narrow at the edges and gaping at the center, with considerable bleeding.

Answer 26

Incised wound

Question 27

When used in an assault, clubs, pipes, pistols, or other such blunt objects can produce open, irregularly shaped wounds termed:

Answer 27

Laceration

Question 28

The severity and appearance of injuries due to blunt trauma depend
on: (5)

Answer 28

1) the amount of force delivered to the body
2) the amount of time over which the force is delivered
3) the region struck
4) the amount (extent) of body surface over which the force is delivered
5) the nature of the weapon

Question 29

Nine methods that are most commonly employed in suicides:

Answer 29

1) shooting
2) hanging
3) ingesting sleeping pills and other pharmaceuticals
4) drowning
5) cutting and piercing
6) ingesting of poisons
7) inhaling gases
8) jumping from high places
9) intentionally crashing an automobile

Question 30

Drowning: External signs to indicate that the victim was alive and conscious when entering the water include: (4)

Answer 30

1) objects clutched in the hand
2) fingernail marks on the palm of the hands
3) white, pink, or red foam extruding from the nose and open mouth
4) Livor mortis most marked in the head and neck

Question 31

One of the common characteristics of suicides inflicted by cutting and piercing instruments is the presence of these:

Answer 31

Hesitation marks

Question 32

This accounts for the largest portion of drug related hospital admissions:

Answer 32

Alcohol (followed by opiates)

Question 33

What is the most common characteristic of an opiate overdose?

Answer 33

A “foam cone”, tinged orange or red with blood, around the nostrils and mouth.

Question 34

Many heroin users inject the drug into the body with the needle, a practice known as:

Answer 34

Mainstreaming

NOTE: Chronic users often damage the blood vessels in their arms to such a degree that they resort to injecting heroin into their,legs, eyelids, or between their toes.

Question 35

The gas most frequently involved in medico-legal investigation is:

Answer 35

Carbon monoxide

Question 36

When death occurs from carbon monoxide poisoning, the victim’s skin:

Answer 36

Takes on an abnormally bright cherry-red skin

Question 37

The suicide note: The note writers used ____________, ____________, and __________ more often as means of death than non-note writers.

Answer 37

1) poisons
2) firearms
3) hanging more often

Question 38

Suicide: Women prefer ____________ and _____________; if women do use a firearm, the fatal wound is frequently in the body rather than the head.

Answer 38

Barbiturates and Poisons

Question 39

Degrees of Burning:

These burns are superficial and limited to the outer layers of skin.

Answer 39

First Degree Burns

Question 40

Degrees of Burning

These burns involve blistering and the destruction of the upper layers of the skin.

Answer 40

Second Degree Burns

Question 41

Degrees of Burning

With these burns the entire thickness of the skin ( epidermis and dermis) is destroyed. In living victims with these burns, pain is usually absent as nerve endings are destroyed.

Answer 41

Third Degree Burns

Question 42

These burns completely destroy (char) the skin and underlying tissue.

Answer 42

Fourth Degree Burns

Question 43

Burn Deaths: The six means that follow should be considered in sequence, from the “best” identification tools to the “worst”:

Answer 43

1) fingerprints
2) dentition
3) DNA printing
4) scars, marks, or tattoos on the exterior of the body
5) Anatomical abnormalities or artificial appliances (I.e., hips or knees) inside the body.
6) identification, jewelry, and clothing on the body

Question 44

This is a natural result of the dehydrating effect caused by the heat of the fire and is not related to the cause or manner of death.

Answer 44

Pugilistic Attitude

Question 45

If two or more murders are committed be an offender or offenders at one time without a cooling-off period, this is typically referred to as:

Answer 45

a “spree murder”

Question 46

All serial murders are not sexually based. There are many other motivations for serial murders including:

Answer 46

1) anger
2) thrill
3) financial gain
4) attention seeking

Question 47

The few serial killers who do travel interstate to kill fall into a few categories including:

Answer 47

1) Itinerant individuals who move from place to place
2) Homeless individuals who are transients
3) Individuals whose employment lends itself to interstate or transnational travel

Question 48

It is generally agreed that there is no single identifiable cause or factor that leads to the development of a serial killer. Rather, there are a multitude of factors that contribute to such development. The most significant factor is:

Answer 48

The serial killers personal decision in choosing to pursue his/her crimes.

Question 49

The following observations have been made by social scientists who study this particular type of criminal (serial killer) :

Answer 49

1) Predisposition to serial killing, muck like other violent offenses, is biological, social, and psychological in nature and is not limited to any specific characters or trait
2) Development of a serial killer involves a combination of factors
3) There are no specific combinations or traits or characteristics shown to differentiate serial killers from other violent offenders.
4) There is no genetic template for a serial killer
5) Serial killers are driven by their own unique motives and reasons
6) Serial killers are not limited to any specific demographic
7) For the majority of serial killers who are sexually motivated by erotized violence during their development, violence, and sexual gratification are inexplicably intertwined
8) More research is needed to identify specific pathways of development