Lecture 12: forensic necropsy Flashcards
To determine the cause/manner of death the vet will need to consider what 3 things
crime scene findings
hx,
necropsy findings
performed in order to investigate unnatural and suspicious, possible litigious or criminal deaths.
forensic necropsy
ID, characterize and record lesions in order to determine cause of death or confirm/deny clinical diagnoses, chronic disease progression, provide feedback on implemented therapies
traditional necropsy
5 goals of a forensic necropsy
a. Cause of death
b. Manner of death
c. Contributory causes of death
d. Mechanism of death
e. ESTIMATE the postmortem interval
injury, disease, or combination of the two that initiates a train of physiological disturbances that, no matter how brief or prolonged, results in the fatal termination of an animals life
cause of death
cause of death; A cat hit with a baseball bat that required humane euthanasia
blunt force trauma
Explains how the cause of death came about, and can classified
manner of death
5 classifications for manner of death
i. Natural
ii. Accidental
iii. Non-accidental or unlawful
iv. Euthanasia
v. Undetermined
manner of death; A cat hit with a baseball bat that required humane euthanasia
NAI
manner and cause of death are __ based on investigation and analysis of data
opinions
mechanism of death; A cat hit with a baseball bat that required humane euthanasia
humane euthanasia
Diseases or injuries that significantly contribute to the cause of death; one or more contributory cause may be present.
contributory causes of death
ie if the cat example had underlying HW dz
physiological derangement resulting in death (hemorrhage, septicemia, euthanasia)
mechanism of death
the time since death or the time that has elapsed between the death of the animal and the attempt to determine the time of death.
postmortem interval
what should accompany an animal for forensic necropsy
a ORIGINAL chain of custody and/or evidence receipt!
any evidence collected from a body requires a
evidence receipt
first steps by the veterinarian on receipt of the bod
documentation/photos fo how body was received
assess the evidence seals
after documenting the package but before starting the necropsy always do
full body radiographs, at least 2 views!
T/F: photographic documentation of forensic necropsy is the same as the live medical exam
true
Postmortem red-purple “discoloration” of the body due to pooling of the blood in dependent sites of the body, except the areas exposed to direct pressure.
livor mortis or lividity
differentiate between postmortem lividity and antemortem bruising
incising the area- Bruising has diffuse hemorrhage into the soft tissues, whereas with lividity blood is confined to the vessels
Over time can be difficult to differentiate with advanced decomposition as the vessels become permeable and the lividity becomes “fixed”
following external exam and rads what is the next step before moving to the internal necropsy/exam
shave and reflect skin (not typically done on traditional necrospy)
forensic necropsy report should
clearly convey the victims condition and an understanding of what has or has not occurred to the victim
vet must ensure court understands what happened to victim but be aware of limitations and the gaps in vet forensic knowledge/studies
target audience for forensic necropsy report
investigators
prosecutors
judge
jury
branch of vet med concerned with determining the cause and manner of death
vet forensic pathology
purpose of forensic necropsy
ID
document
preserve evidence
anticipate questions that will be asked
purpose of the __ is to clearly convey victim’s conditon and an understanding of what has or has not occured to the victim
forensic necropsy report
