Ramsland+Ch.2+Notes+KS

Chapter 2: Handling Bodies

Death Investigator = medical examiner or coroner. ^ Certified by the American Board of Forensic Pathology. This requires a 5 year residency and a year of training with a medical examiner. * D.I.s have to know the protocal for body removal, and they must be able to decide whether a death should be investigated or not.

Death investigation - * When the death occured, when it happened, and what caused it.

Deaths can be categorized in one of five groups 1. Natural 2. Accidental 3. Suicide 4. Homocide 5. Undetermined


 * Not all homocides are criminal. Those that aren't, could be justified as self-defense.

It's important for the DI to be contacted as soon as possible in order to make an accurate assesment of the body in a "Postmortem interval" (PMI). ^ In the 1996 case of JonBennet Ramsey, the fact that the father moved his daughter from the place she was found to a different location, and then covered her with a blanket, greatly interfered with the PMI that the DI made. The fact that she was moved and covered meant that the DI was unable to calculate the time of death.

All deaths that are not the result of natural cause should be investigated. Plus all deaths of children.

"Unattended deaths" - Deaths of people in locations other than a hospital, hospice, or a long-term care facility. This also refers to those who had not been recently examined by a physician for any illness.


 * Death investigations are confidential.

Body discovery scenes outside - categorized as how the body is found. Ex: buried, exposed, or submerged in water. Body discovery scenes inside are usually more preserved.

DIs are responsible for the body at the scene. They work with the detectives to determine which category the death falls into.

Before the body is removed: - DI examines the body and makes notes and diagrams, directs the photographer, and with visible wounds he attempts to determine what caused them. - He also examines the eyes, and notes the amount of blood at the scene. - Ultimately, the DI decides whether there should be an autopsy. - if insects are present, DI works with an entomologist.
 * Only coroner authorizes body transportation.

After preliminary examinations, leading officer directs the coroner through the scene and shares any theories about the death.


 * Officers remove the body with a clean which sheet, and are careful to avoid contact with bodily fluids. Then the body is placed in a body bag for transport.


 * Time of Death**

While at the crime scene, DIs make an approximation of the time of death, or TOD. However, this is difficult to do accurately, and is therefore called an "inaccurate science." ^These factors help determin TOD:

1. Body Temperature - usually a body cools at 1-1 1/2 degrees per hour until it is the temperature of its surroundings. This varies, though, and is not always accurate.

2. Discoloration - aka postmortem lividity or hypostasis. This is a dark purple color on the part of the body that is found closest to the ground. Appears one to two hours after death.

3. Rigor mortis - After death, bodies go limp, but after an average of two to three hours, waste products stiffen the muscles. However factors such as presense of heat, and differences in musculature affect the onset of rigor.

4. Ocular indicators - In a death where the victims eyes remained open, a thin film forms on the surface, and withink about 3 hours they begin to look cloudy. Eyes that are closed develop this as well, though it takes awhile longer. This indicator of TOD is sometimes thought of as more accurate than others because temperature does not affect the time frame.

5. Food digestion - This changes based upon the type of food, how much of it, how fast a person's metabolism is/was, and the person's emotional condition prior to death.

6. Personal factors - These include witnesses who saw the person alive at a certain time, ruling out a TOD.

7. Decay/decomposition rates - Injured areas decompose faster than other areas, and the rate of decomposition varies based on location, temperature, and exposure. ^ Stages of decomposition.... a) skin pales and begins to look waxy b) blood that settles in certain areas makes the skin a purplish red c) the body putrifies, which is signaled by a greenish dicoloration of the skin d) foul odor develops e) the skin blisters f) when the body is submerged in water, a substance called "adipocere" forms when fatty tissues harden and keep body preserved.


 * Bodies can decompose as fast as a few weeks, and as long as years.

Entomology is often disregarded because many people don't understand the science.

Insects can help in... 1. showing that a body may have been moved 2. serving as specimens for toxicological or drug analysis 3. providing DNA materials from insect investigation contents 4. supporting or contradicting an alibi 5. assessing when wounds were made to a body.


 * Insects arrive in stages.

Examining the gut contents of insects help to determine what a person digested prior to death.


 * The Autopsy**

In many cases, the autopsy is the most crucial piece of evidence involved in solving the case.

An autopsy is defined as "a postmortem examination of a corpse to determine manner and cause of death for an official report." ^ about 25% of deaths are autopsied.

- Sometimes autopsies are ordered on people who are alread buried.

- C.S.I.s often attend the autopsies in order to help search for evidence, and to discuss the case.

- Autopsies can be... a) partial - only part of the body is examined. This is the most common type of autopsy. b) selective - could be a specific organ c) complete - whole body is examined.


 * Family members must be notified about an autopsy, but they are not asked for permission.

Before anything is done to a body in an autopsy, the person is photographed both clothed and unclothed. Then the body is X-rayed, weighed, fingerprinted, and measured. Injuries are then noted.

The first thing that the surgeon does is make a Y-incision. This is when the body is cut shoulder to shoulder, and then down the abdomen into the groin. The Y-incision helps to provide easy access to organs.

Then a blood sample is taken to determine the blood type.

Injuries are categorized in one of three ways. 1) blunt-force trauma - impact with a blunt object, or something with no sharp edges 2) gunshot - looks for burns and powder residue around the wound(s) 3) sharp-force trauma - also called knife or "incised" wounds. Coroners must make distinctions between cut and stab or puncture wounds, and different types of piercing such as an ice pick.

Asphyxiation - results from cutting off oxygen to the brain. ^ Can be caused by hanging, smothering, strangulation, or obstruction of airways.


 * Bruises are photographed.


 * Bodies found without an identification are put through a separate ID process that also has a specific protocol...