Investigation Of Death Flashcards
2 stages of medico legal investigation
1.Crime scene investigation
2. Autopsy
Conduct of process, more particularly , the recognition, handling preservation and documentation of physical evidence
Crime scene investigation
place where the essential ingredients of the criminal act took place.
crime scene
Before the actual performance of the search, it is advisable to stand aside and make an estimate of the
situation. A picture of the whole area must be taken
Methods of Conducting a Search
blocked out in the form of a rectangle.
The searcher proceeds slowly at the same
pace along the path parallel to one side of the rectangle.
Strip method
modification of the strip search method. The searchers will
traverse first parallel to the base and then parallel to the side.
Double Strip or Grid Method
searchers follow each other in the path in the spiral manner beginning from the center
towards the outside or vice versa.
Spiral method
Gather at the center and proceed outwards along radii or spokes.
Wheel/ Ray Method
area is divided into subdivisions or quadrants and search is made in the individual
quadrants.
Zone Method
comprehensive study of a dead body, performed by a trained physician
removal of tissues for further examination.
body is open and internal
examination is conducted
Autopsy
external examination of a
dead body without incision being made
Post-mortem Examination
Persons who are Authorized to Perform Autopsies and Dissections
The following are authorized to perform autopsies and dissections
a. Health Officers;
b. Medical officers of law enforcement agencies; and
c. Members of the medical staff of accredited hospitals.
after all efforts, including gross and microscopic studies and
toxicological analyses, fail to reveal a cause of death
Negative Autopsy
no cause of death is found on account of imprudence, negligence, lack of skill or
lack of foresight of the examiner.
Negligent Autopsy
trauma or disease kill quickly that there is no opportunity for sequelae or
complications to develop.
brain laceration as a result of a vehicular accident
Immediate (Primary) Cause of Death
injury or disease was survived for a sufficiently prolonged interval which permitted the development
of serious sequelae which actually caused the death.
Proximate (Secondary) Cause of Death
natural disease condition in the body. The disease may develop spontaneously,
or it might have been a consequence of physical injury inflicted prior to its development
Natural Death
deaths are those due to injuries inflicted in the body by some forms of outside force. The physical
injury must be the proximate cause of death
Violent Death
Death due to misadventure or accident. An accident is something that happens outside the sway of our
will, and although it comes about through some act of will, lies beyond bounds of human foreseeable
consequences.
Accidental Death
accident without fault or intention of causing shall be exempted from criminal
liability
(a) A person is performing a lawful act
(b) He performed it with due care
(c) He caused injury to another by mere accident
(d) He is without fault and with no intention of causing it