Ramsland+29-48+LD

Liz Deason

Ramsland pg. 29-48 notes

Death investigator- Medical examiner or coroner

Determines the following about the death - How it occured - When it happend - What caused

Manner of death: Natural Accidental Suicide Homocide Undetermined

Any death that is not natual must be investigated, often a natural death is investigated as well

Body discovery scenes

Outside -Buried -Exposed -Submerged in water

Inside -Usually more preserved - Must take more percuations with the surrondings and crime scnene

Time of death -Ususally difficult to determine unless whitness -Many different factors that could change the bodys normal functions such as drugs, a struggle or chase beofre the death -Rigor

Body Temperature (Algor Mortis) Discoloration (Livor Mortis) Rigor Mortis Ocular indicators Food Digestion personal factors Decay/decomposition rates

Insects -help to show if the body has been moved from place of death - Specimines for toxicology or drug annalysys - DNA materials from insect investigation contents - Support for contradicting an alibi - Tell when wounds made to body

Autopsy an autopsy is the postmortem examination of a body in order to determine the reasoning and cause of death and gives the official report -it can be partial, selective or complete (most are partial)

Blunt force injury - injury caused by the impact of a blunt object or one with no sharp edges

Gunshot wounds - Tatooing and stippling (burns from gas and powder residu) -fauling (soot) around the wound - Shotgun blast makes a distinct patern - measure exit and entry wounds

Knife - determine weather it is a cut and stab or puncture wound - different characteristics, determine between things like a knife or ice pick