time since death
Postmortem interval (PMI)
The length of time that has elapsed since a person has died.
Early postmortem interval: first 48 hours
Late postmortem interval: after 48 hours
Five questions in death investigations
WHO died? identity of victim
WHERE did they die? at death scene or somewhere else
WHEN did they die? approx TOD
WHY did they die? Medical cause of death
HOW did they die? Mechanism or mode of death
Coroner vs Medical Examiner
Medical examiner: A medical doctor who has no judicial powers, and can conduct external autopsies only
Coroner: Has ultimate jurisdiction over the body, can call an inquest, and has rights to search and seizure beyond that of the police
striated tool mark
A tool is pressed into a softer object with a sliding motion
Lindy Chamberlain “dingo stole my baby
was charged in connection to the 1980 death of Azaria Chamberlain case (her daughter), in the Northern, Australia. The Chamberlain family had been camping near the rock when their nine-week-old daughter was taken from their tent.
Years later - azarias jacket was found in a dingo den
Significance of case: presumptive test not followed up with a confirmatory test
Methods for estimating TOD
Anamnestic: people's memory of a regular pattern of activity (work everyday from 8-5)
Eyewitness: was present at death
Corporal: Stage of decomposition (rigor, algor, livor)
Environmental: insects or plants
Manner of death classification
(SHAUN)
Suicide
Homicide
Undetermined
Accident
Natural
Goudge Inquiry
Dr. Charles Smith, a forensic paediatric pathologist, conducted autopsies leading to wrongful convictions due to a lack of oversight and failure to understand that his job was not to support the Crown
Impressed toolmark
A tool is pressed into a softer object with no movement except the actual force of the blow
Casey Anthony:
On July 15, 2008, Caylee Anthony was reported missing by her maternal grandmother, Cindy Anthony, who said she had not seen Caylee for 31 days.
Significance of case: CSI Effect
cooling of the body
Clinical/hospital autopsy: focuses on the internal organ findings and medical conditions.
Forensic/medicolegal autopsy: determine the cause of death and confirm the manner of death, often to be used in criminal proceedings
Minutiae
Small details and subtleties of a fingerprint
Lands
The raised portion between the grooves in a rifled bore
COD determination involves
1. history
2. the body
3. the scene
Livor mortis
pooling of blood
Internal Examination
The dissection of the human body generally entails the removal of all internal organs through a Y- incision beginning at the top of each shoulder and extending down to the pubic bone.
removal of brain and skull and all organs
Presumptive test
Test that concludes something MIGHT be a suspected substance or is definitely NOT the suspected substance
Grooves
The cut or low-lying portions between the lands in a rifled bore
James Earl Ray
Assasination of martin luther king
Significance of case: fingerprint identification
Investigators found three fingerprints on the binoculars and rifle which hit in CODIS - being james earl ray
Rigor mortis
stiffening of the body after death
Normative standards
A reference set of data on a morphological trait based on samples of "normal" individuals
Confirmatory test
Tests that specifically identifies one substance
Flashover vs Flameover
Flashover: Stage of a fire at which all surfaces are heated to their ignition temperature and flames develop on all contents and combustible surfaces at once
Flameover: Situation in which unburned fuel from the originating fire accumulates in the ceiling layer, and ignites and burns
John Dillinger “public enemy number 1”:
perhaps the most publicized attempt at obliteration was that of the notorious gangster John Dillinger, who tried to destroy his own fingerprints by applying a corrosive acid to them
Americas most notorious bank robber