Autopsy – Part I
Examination of a deceased person to:
- determine the ______of death
- _____ did the person die? (ex: ______)
- becomes more difficult to determine with decomposition
- undercover addition evidence for criminal proceedings
* cannot usually determine ______of death *
- _____ did the person die? (ex: ______)
- investigators use information from ______
Most states in the United States have laws that require certain types of deaths be investigated (most under mysterious circumstances):
- ______- ______complications of injuries
- ______- ______complications
- ______
Autopsy – medicalexamination of a dead body, looking for ______
To determine – causeof death
- performedwhen someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly while in apparently ______health
The Price of KnowingA privately hired autopsy can cost anywhere between $1,500 and $3,200.
- performed at the request of the ______of the deceased.
There are two types of autopsies:
- ______
- ______
Forensic autopsy – ______autopsy.
According to Dr. Kiesel, a forensic pathologist, "The forensic autopsy spends almost as much time on the external surfaces of the body as it does on the internal surfaces, because that's where ______is."
- Forensic autopsies try to find answers to the cause of death as part of an overall ______investigation.
Clinical autopsy – usually performed in hospitals by pathologists or the attending physician to determine a cause of death for ______purposes.
There are five legally defined manners of death:
- Natural (ex: ______)- Accident (ex: ______)
- Homicide (ex: ______)- Suicide (ex: ______)
- Undetermined
- may ______be determined
NOTE: an interesting example of the unique possibilities when assigning a manner of death.
“Let's say, somebody 30 years ago received a gunshot wound to the head and they developed a seizure disorder. It's 30 years later, and they die from the seizure disorder. Well, the seizure disorder was caused by the gunshot wound; the gunshot wound is an unnatural event. That case would actually be classified as a homicide ... there's no time limit to that trauma. There's a time limit if you wanted to take it to court and sue somebody, but there's not a time limit as far as our making the call.”
For the autopsy:
- body arrives in ______
- body ______in bag
- ______collected from surface of the body
- ______samples
- ______residue (if present)
- ______
- any other foreign materials
- if a homicide case:
- hands were placed in ______at crime scene
- medical examiner will remove paper bags and:
- collect materials from under ______
- test for and collect ______
- if a homicide and/or assault case:
- UV light used to enhance ______on skin and clothing
- these will then be collected
- body ______while still covered
- body removed from bag
- body is ______and wounds are examined
- body is ______
- body is ______
- “______” placed under face-up body, causes chest to rise and head and arms fall back
An external examination will begin with a general description of the body. All identifying features are noted including:
- ______- ______
- ______color and length - ______
- Approximate ______
- Any identifying features (______)
Internal examination involves:
- opening the ______
- weighing the ______
- investigating contents of the ______
- samples taken for microscopy and ______
Throughout the autopsy
- process varies based on ______of the case
- incredibly ______
- need to ensure proper collection documentation of evidence
- uncomplicated case: about ___ hours
- complicated case: ______hours