Death Investigation and Coroner's Service Flashcards
Which deaths are investigated and what are the exceptions?
ALL deaths are investigated unless the death occurred under a doctor’s care of known terminal illness
What are 5 reasons for conducting an investigation?
- determine if crime occurred
- establish cause of death
- closure for family
- insurance issues
- prevent future deaths
What 5 questions need to be answered in an investigation?
- Who - identity of victim
- When - time of death
- Where - at the death scene or else where
- Why - medical cause of death
- How - mechanism of death
History of Death Investigation
- Coroner system in England arose in 900AD
- Coroners appointed by king to examine bodies, scene, inquests, and arrests (called Crowners)
- After Norman Conquest in England, Coroners and jury had to determine if descendent was of Norman descent
- if they were Norman everyone in the area had to pay Murdrum tax
What is the role of the Coroner / Medical Examiner in Death Investigation?
- to investigate unexpected and unexplained deaths
- assist police with suspicious deaths
- attend scene, contract F. Pathologist for autopsy, contract secure body removal
How have Coroners contributed to death investigation?
- administration of justice
- help the bereaved
- make findings public
- increase knowledge
What do Coroners do at a crime scene?
- broad rights to search and seizure (cannot give to police - need warrant)
- collect evidence (drugs, suicide notes, weapons)
- note position of body and injuries
What additional resources are available to Coroners?
- Pathologist
- Toxicologist
- psychiatrists, psychologists
- friends, family, and colleagues
- WorkSafeBC
What types of deaths are investigated?
- deaths from violence, accidents, negligence, misconduct, malpractice
- self-inflicted illness / injury
- sudden, unexpected deaths (no Dr.)
- illness with unknown causes (no Dr.)
- maternal and child deaths
- deaths in custody
- deaths from involuntary patients
What are the 5 categories for Manner of Death?
- suicide
- homicide
- accidental
- natural
- undetermined
What is a homicide?
- intentional infliction of injury to cause death
- 1st degree, 2 degree, manslaughter
- coroner does not assign blame
What is defined as a suicide?
- intentional taking of one’s life
- some deaths can appear to be a suicide, but were accidental
- if there are doubts, death is ruled accidental or undetermined*
What is an accidental death?
- death caused by unexpected or unintentional injury
- could have occurred earlier but eventually resulted in death
- requires detailed analysis and further investigation to ensure it’s not suicide or homicide*
What is a natural death?
- can include disease and continual environmental abuse
- Ex: chronic drug and alcohol abuse
- need to conduct a further investigation into individual’s past to determine if it was natural or a suicide*
What is an undetermined death?
- no obvious reason for death or insufficient evidence
What is a delayed death?
- Ex: someone falls and survives, get pneumonia in hospital and dies from disease
- death is not natural but an accident due to fall*
Compare and contrast Coroners and MEs
Coroner:
- can have no relevant background or many
- oversee death investigation
- attend death scene
- hire forensic path. to conduct autopsy
- have judicial powers (provide recommendations through inquests)
Medical Examiner:
- need to be doctor or GP
- oversee death investigation
- attend death scene
- hire forensic path. to conduct autopsy (can do external autopsy)
- no judicial powers
What is a Coroner’s Report?
- public document that answers the 5 Qs
- Coroner signs death certificate (allowed to presume death and issue death certificate without body - missing person)
What is a Coroner’s inquest?
- jury consisting of 5-7 people
- hear evidence from lay witness and expert witness
- do not assign guilt
- make circumstances surrounding death public and make recommendations to prevent further deaths
What is a Forensic Pathologist?
- medical doctor that specializes in the study of disease and conducts autopsies
- rarely attends death scene
- no judicial powers
- can testify as expert witness
What is an autopsy and who conducts it?
examination of the body after death
performed by forensic pathologist
Forensic vs. Clinical autopsy
forensic = goal is to determine cause of death , manner of death clinical = goal is to understand disease progression
Cause vs. Mode of death
cause = medical explanation of death mode = mechanism or explanation of death
What does an external examination include?
- physical characteristics (sex, age, identifying marks)
- time since death indicators (liver or rigor mortis, temperature)
- x-rays
- fingernail scraping, hair and pubic combing, sexual organs swabbed
- wound examination
- photography and notes
