Death Investigations

Question 1

Mandatory Attendance

Supervisor

Answer 1

• suicide, possible sudden death, unnatural sudden death, suspicious death or suspected homicide
• sudden unexpected death, apparent suicide or accident where the only witness or person present at the time of death or the finding of the body is an intimate partner, past or present

Question 2

Mandatory Attendance

Divisional Detective

Answer 2

• death of a child under five (5)
• sudden unexpected death of a child
• unnatural sudden death
• sudden unexpected death, apparent suicide or accident where the only witness or person present at the time of death or the finding of the body is an intimate partner, past or present

Question 3

No person, except a qualified medical practitioner, has the authority to pronounce a person dead. The only exceptions are where (2)

Answer 3

• death appears obvious due to decomposition, decapitation, transection, gross rigor mortis, gross outpouring of cranial or visceral contents, or a grossly charred body, or
• a base hospital physician has declared death through consultation with an on–scene paramedic

Question 4

Every sudden unexpected death of a child or the death of a child under _____ years of age must be actively investigated as suspicious, and premature conclusions should not be made regarding the cause and manner of death until a thorough investigation has been completed. Officers shall comply with the applicable sections of Procedure 05–01 when conducting such investigations.

Answer 4

five (5)

Question 5

A Scenes of Crime Officer (SOCO) may only be assigned to examine crime scenes at the discretion of who?

Answer 5

the Officer in Charge – FIS.

Question 6

A SOCO shall not be assigned to death investigations involving who? (3)

Answer 6

• the sudden, unexpected death of a child
• the death of a child under five (5) years of age
• a suspicious death or suspected homicide.

Question 7

Who shall be responsible for the quality and thoroughness of the uniform response?

Answer 7

The first supervisory officer

Question 8

Officer in Charge
When notified of a suicide where there exists a suicide note or criminal writing shall ensure the suicide note, and any other writings made by the deceased relevant to the investigation are (2)

Answer 8

• scanned and attached to the original eReport

- transmitted to the Office of the Chief Coroner by TPS eFax, along with a copy of the completed eReports.

Question 9

When notified of an unnatural sudden death shall ensure
- if involving a foreign national, notify who?
NOTE:
Landed Immigrants should be considered foreign nationals as they remain citizens of the country from which they emigrated.

Answer 9

Intelligence Services – Strategic Assessment and Analysis Section

Question 10

Investigator – Detective Operations – Forensic Identification Services

When investigating the sudden unexpected death of a child.

• shall attend the autopsy of a child aged ____ to ____
• may be required to attend the autopsy of a child aged ____ to ____

Answer 10

zero (0) to twelve (12) years

thirteen (13) to eighteen (18) years