Module 2 Death Investigation Flashcards
Pathologist
-Determines cause of disease or trauma based on appearance and chemistry of bodies or tissues
-Have a doctorates with a 4/5 year residency & pathology fellowship
Medical Examiner
-Doctors or pathologists
-Appointed by jurisdiction
Coroner
-Elected by jurisdiction
-Education/training optional
Death Investigator
-Investigate deaths at the scene under the jurisdiction of the coroner or ME
—Collect scene context needed to determine cause of death
—Work parallel with CSI & law enforcement
-Requires CSI training and basic medical knowledge
The manners of death
—Is how the person died
Suicidal
Homicidal
Accidental
Undetermined
Natural
Causes of death (or mechanism)
-Can be many things, such as heart attack, asphyxiation , etc
Autopsy
Determination of manner and cause of death
Antemortem
Something that is antemortem is something that happened BEFORE DEATH
Postmortem
After death
Perimortem
Near time of death; not clearly post or antemortem
What is searched for during an external examination?
Physical features: sex, eye color, etc
Identifying features (tattoos, scars, etc)
Wounds
Photography used during examination
What’s done during an internal examination?
Open body using y-incision
Remove organs & visually inspect them
Organs will be weighed
Sections/samples collected
Microscopy
Examining small slides of tissue samples taken during an autopsy
Toxicology
Detecting chemicals present in the body (usually blood or urine samples)
Algor mortis
Body cooling down after death
Livor Mortis/Lividity
The discoloration of skin after death, caused by blood pooling at your lowest point
Blanching
Whitish discoloration of skin caused by applied pressure
Blood becomes fixed after….
12 hours
Rigor Mortis
-Caused as the body runs out of ATP
-Temporary fusion of muscle proteins
-Starts with small muscles (like eyelids)
-Releases as decomposition sets in
Other PMI estimates
Chemistry of the vitreous humor (parts of the eye)
Colonization of insects
Rate of decomposition
-Mummification (dry climate)
-Adipocere formation (wet environment)
Demineralization of bones
Types of Trauma
Mechanical (force)
Electrical (electricity)
Thermal (too hot/cold)
Chemical (injections or consumption)
Asphyxia (loss of oxygen to brain)
When reconstructing trauma, what do we take into consideration?
-Type of damage
-Location/distribution of trauma
-Action required to produce trauma
-What instrument caused it?
-Was damage fatal?
Closed Trauma
Trauma that doesn’t break the skin
Mechanical trauma is
Trauma caused by force applied to the body
Tensile force
Force applied by pulling two things apart
Compression force
Force applied by pressing down on an area
Wound types
Closed: skin intact
Open: skin broken
Types of forces
Blunt force
Penetrating force
Sharp force
Fixation
The hardening of proteins to preserve tissues
What is typically collected to test for drug usage?
Blood & urine
Lacerations
Typically caused by blunt objects (ripping open rather than clean incisions)
Stippling
Pattern of unburned powder that penetrates the skin
MDI
collects information relative to a death; has knowledge both medical and forensics/law
Official confirmation of death is generally performed by
Medical examiner or physician
The death investigator must record what information regarding a death?
-Who died
-When the body was discovered
-What events transpired
-Where the body was discovered
-How the discovery was made
Suspicious deaths
Homicides
Suicides
Accidental deaths
Equivocal deaths
Rigor Mortis is _____ in cool environments and ____ in warm environments
Slower, faster
The body remains in rigor for how long?
24-36 hours
What occurs as the rigor phase ends?
-Abdominal skin turns green
-Eyes bulge
-Tongue protrudes
The bloating stage involves
Skin sloughing and degradation of blood
Subcutaneous marbling
Vessels become visible due to degraded blood staining them
Stages of decomposition
-Fresh
-Bloat
-Decay
-Advanced Decay
-Skeletal
The system of medicolegal investigation of death is triggered by…
a questionable death being reported
Injury takes ____ over disease in determining cause of death
precedence
Postmortem Interval
Time that has passed since death
How long does it take rigor mortis to set in?
About 4 hours
How long does it take lucidity to go away?
About 36 hours
How quickly does a body cool off in an environment of about 20 C°?
About 1.5°C per hour for the first 8 hours
