Investigating Human Remains
Name one discipline within forensic science that deals with human remains
Pathology, anthropology, entomology, toxicology
True or False: Forensic scientists are able to find an exact time of death?
False- They can only provide an estimate
How is a medical autopsy different from a forensic autopsy?
In a forensic autopsy the cause of death is NOT known
What is forensic anthropology
The study of bones involved in criminal cases
What is forensic entomology
The study of insects
Where does rigor mortis start?
In the small muscles of the head.
What is Ms. Page's favorite color
Orange
Why wouldn't a forensic anthropologist be called to determine the time of death of a victim?
Forensic anthropologists specialize in skeletal remains. By the time they are needed at a crime scene it is impossible to tell what a victims time of death was
What occurs during putrefaction
The body decays
What information are we able to obtain from examining post mortem lividity
Was the body moved and approximate time of death
Why would a blood toxicology test need to be conducted during an autopsy
To determine if the victim had any drugs in their system when they died
What is the body farm?
A facility at the university of Tennessee where patterns of human decay are studied
When you are examining a body for livor mortis what are you looking for?
Blood pooling
How long does it take for food to exit the digestive tract after someone has eaten
Approximately 12 hours
What is something that we are NOT able to determine doing an autopsy
Time of death
What is the main responsibility of a forensic anthropologist
Identifying skeletal remains
Who created the Body Farm
Bill Bass
Define algor mortis. Why is it useful in an investigation?
Algor Mortis- The cooling of the body after death. It is useful to help determine the time of death of a victim
How do forensic pathologists use the eyes to determine time of death
They will look to see if a cloudy film has formed over the eyes to help determine time of death
By what age are human bones typically done growing
17-25