DH+R29-48

__Handling Bodies__


 * Death Investigator
 * medical examiner or coroner
 * must be familar with forensic pathology
 * or work with someone who is
 * need to know the difference between...
 * a murder and a death from a contagious disease
 * an accidental erotic fatality and a real suicide
 * protocol of body removal
 * be able to decide which deaths actually need to be investigated
 * Death Investigation
 * How it occurred
 * when it happened
 * what caused it
 * whatever led to it
 * lethal knifing, bullet to the head, asphyxiation by strangling
 * proximate cause
 * chain of events leading up to the death
 * immediate cause
 * the injury or disease that killed the person
 * Manner of Death
 * Natural
 * died in an envrionment not considered hostile
 * Accidental
 * fell victim to a hostile envrionment
 * Suicide
 * person caused own death
 * Homicide
 * someone else caused the death
 * not all homicides are criminal, but those that are include...
 * death by auto
 * manslaughter
 * murder
 * Undetermined
 * Any death not the result of natural causes whould be investigated
 * natural deaths may be investigated if caused by a contagious disease that could harm the community
 * all childhood deaths are investigated
 * all deaths of people in the public eye are investigated
 * "Unattended Deaths"
 * the person died in a place other than a hospital, hospice or long-term care facility
 * no physician had recently examined them for some illness
 * Body Discovery - Outside
 * categorized by how the body is found
 * buried
 * soil samples are tested for the presence of added substances
 * exposed
 * may have parts missing due to scavengers attacking the corpse
 * submerged in water
 * if boats are present, may have injuries from propellers
 * Body Discovery - Inside
 * crime scene is generally more preserved, although the corpse may have been dismembered and stored someplace for a long period of time
 * At The Crime Scene
 * DI
 * briefly examines the body, makes preliminary notes and diagrams
 * avoids disturbing any trace of evidence that might linger on the corpse
 * direct the photographer for specific photographs
 * or take some of own
 * Visible wound
 * try to determine whether it was made by a knife, gun or blunt instrument
 * examine the eyes
 * note the presence of blood at the scene and whether it approximates the amount of bleeding that would ensue from a specific type of wound
 * decides if there needs to be an autopsy
 * insects present
 * DI works with anentomologist
 * Time of Death