Investigation into Death

Question 1

medicolegal

Answer 1

the application of medical science to law

Question 2

medicolegal investigators

Answer 2

trained to determine the cause of death and are also able to provide a legal opinion about the manner of death

Question 3

what is an attended death?

Answer 3

• decedent dies while undercare of a physician
• the death is either expected or anticipated due to prior medical history
• may or may not have an autopsy

Question 4

what is the attended death process?

Answer 4

• the physician signs the death certificate

- funeral home is notified and the body is removed

Question 5

what is an unattended death?

Answer 5

• when death is unexpected, the result of a traumatic injury or the decedent had no physician on hand to determine cause of death

Question 6

what is the unattended death process?

Answer 6

• there is no death certificate

- coroner or medical examiner investigates

Question 7

medical examiner

Answer 7

physician who is a forensic pathologist

Question 8

coroner

Answer 8

• elected official who may or may not be a medical professional

Question 9

coroner system

Answer 9

• elected official
• does not need a medical degree
• determines jurisdiction and whether an autopsy is necessary
• usually used in counties with low resources, low case loads, or in an area with low pathologists

Question 10

medical examiner system

Answer 10

• medical doctor
• appointed or hired
• specializes in forensics
• reviews medical history, witness statements, and scene of death
• conducts the autopsy

Question 11

who are the people directly involved in a death investigation?

Answer 11

• medical examiner
• crime scene investigator
• medicolegal investigator
• homicide investigator
• state attorney/prosecutor

Question 12

what is the general autopsy outline?

Answer 12

• external examination
• radiographs
• open thoracic and pelvic cavities
• remove, weigh, and section off organs
• draw blood and other fluids for testing

Question 13

what are the types of autopsy?

Answer 13

1. clinical
2. hospital deaths
3. research
4. clinical pathology

Question 14

autopsies in forensics

Answer 14

• unnatural death
• done for medicolegal purposes
• usually done by an ME

Question 15

what reasons are there to conduct an autopsy?

Answer 15

• determine cause and manner
• time of death
• identify, collect, preserve evidence
• provide factual information
• protect the innocent and prosecute the guilty

Question 16

cause of death

Answer 16

anatomical diagnosis of the precise mechanism of death

Question 17

manner of death

Answer 17

how the death came about

Question 18

what are the types of manner of death?

Answer 18

1. natural
2. suicide
3. accident
4. homicide
5. indeterminate

Question 19

how do forensic anthropologists fit in a death investigation?

Answer 19

• they are consultants

- aid in identification and analysis of badly decomposed, skeletonized, or heavily burned remains

Question 20

medicolegal investigation progression

Answer 20

1. determine the identity of the individual
   
   • family will know decedent has passed
   • satisfy societal institutions
2. determine cause and manner of death
   
   • determine if a crime was committed
   • important in societal institutions
3. determine cause of death
   
   • establishes a time line
4. identify, collect, and preserve evidence
5. provide factual information to law enforcement, prosecutors, defense attorneys, families, and the public
6. protect the innocent and prosecute the guilty