THE FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST The forensic pathologist performs autopsies to determine the cause and mechanism of violent deaths such as homicides, accidents, and suicides. He must determine three important things: cause of death: mechanism of death: time of death Forensic pathologists are often called upon as an expert witness

CAUSE v. MECHANISM OF DEATH Cause of death is a specific medical diagnoses: –Asphyxiation –Exsanguination Mechanism of death: –drowning, strangle –Multiple stab wounds

TIME OF DEATH Factors such as indicative acts, postmortem body temperature (algor mortis), postmortem lividity (livor mortis), stiffening of the body (rigor mortis), and putrefaction can all help to roughly estimate the time of death. Entomological studies Exam stomach contents Rigor mortis occurs when the body (the muscles) stiffens after death. Putrefaction destruction of tissues by bacteria and enzymes : dissolution of tissue into gases, liquids. Entomological studies estimate stage of life of insects that inhabit the body

Algor mortis Cooling of the body after death. Best indicator of TOD in 1 st 24 hrs

Algor Mortis Body cools approx 1.5 degrees C/hr –Skinny cools faster –No clothes cools faster –In water cools much faster normal temp – measured temp/ 1.5 = #of hrs

Livor Mortis Lividity: red/purple coloration of skin. Due to settling of blood after death Skin will appear white in areas that were compressed.

Livor Mortis Lividity will appear in about 2 hours. –Areas will turn white if you press Lividity will be “set” after 5 hours

Rigor Mortis Rigor: stiffening of muscles due to build up of salts.

Rigor mortis Rigor –Begins: 12 hours post mortem – face, arms, abdomen, legs –Takes: 12 hours to get fully stiffened –Then starts to go away in same order Face, arms, abdomen, legs

Decomposition 2 days post mortem –Marbling neck and shoulders 1 st red then green –From bacteria getting into subQ tissue –Body gets bloated from gases created by bact. –Organs decompose in order: –Stomach and intestines, heart and liver –Lungs, brain, spinal cord –Musculature

ASPHYXIA AND STRANGULATION Insufficient amounts of oxygen reaching brain or essential organs of body Causes of Asphyxiation: Natural: pneumonia, asthma Drowning Smothering Strangulation: Homicidal, suicidal, accidental Homicidal strangulation done manually- brute force choking around neck Homicidal strangulation by ligature using rope, wire, or garrote Hanging victim dies from pressure of body weight or neck breaks Intensive heart congestion (enlarged heart; right side ventricle) Venous engorgement (enlarged veins above point of injury) Cyanosis (blue discoloration of lips and fingertips)

BULLET WOUNDS Contact Wound: Muzzle applied to skin at shooting. Impression of muzzle burned around entrance wound and absence of fouling and stippling Close Range (6-8 inches): Entrance surrounded stippling- HOT soot traveling for short distance; BURNS Intermediate Range (1- 3 ft.): hot fragments of burning gunpowder; “ball” Distant (greater than 3 ft.): No soot or burning propellant; clean wound margins Entrance wound: rim of abrasion dragging surrounding skin Exit wound: projectile penetrates skin and pushes in outward

Close Range (6-8 inches): Entrance surrounded by stippling- HOT soot traveling for short distance; BURNS

Intermediate range 1-3 feet

STAB WOUNDS Laceration is a tearing injury due to friction or impact with a blunt object. The typical laceration has edges which are ragged3, bruised, and/or abraded. Puncture is a penetrating injury due to pointed object without a blade, such as an ice pick The wound edges are smooth. Serrated blades produce the same smooth edges as do nonserrated blades. Abrasion is a friction injury removing superficial layers of skin, allowing serum to exude and form a crust. Contusion is a bruise due to rupture or penetration of small-caliber blood vessel walls. Slash wounds tend to look like bullet wounds that only graze the surface of the skin. Other types of slash wounds are called "hesitation marks" commonly found in suicide cases. They are typically rectangular in shape; i.e., their cuts are as wide and they are long. Incision wounds: cutting with a blade, always have lengths greater than their depth, and you'll easily notice that a greater amount of subsurface tissue is exposed in an almost oval fashion.

BURN Scorching or burning of skin leads to sepsis and is immediate cause of death Wounds caused by heat, chemicals, or electricity Fire victims found in “pugilistic” position: clenched fists, resembling pose of boxer Heat causes protein in body to contract Blood and lung samples taken

Blunt force trauma Blunt Force trauma results from clubbing, kicking, or hitting the victims. The blow produces a crushing effect on the human body, resulting in contusions, abrasions, lacerations, fractures, or rupture of vital organs. Red-blue contusions are always present, but this varies by the weight of the individual (obese people bruise easier than lean people)

POISONING Determined by discolorations on body Cherry- red lividity is sign of carbon monoxide poisoning Toxins give off unusual odors Certainty of diagnosis requires toxicological confirmation Samples taken of stomach, vomit, kidney, lungs, liver

AUTOPSY OF NICOLE SIMPSON Multiple stab wound of neck and scalp (total of seven). Multiple injuries of hands, including incised wound, ring finger of right hand (defense wound). Scalp bruise, right parietal. Dr. Lakshamanan Sathyavagiswaran believes Nicole Simpson’s stab wounds were done with a single-edged knife. Irwin L. Golden, M.D. Deputy Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Nicole Brown Simpson on June 14, Her death was ascribed to multiple sharp force injuries including: Incised wound of neck: Transection of left and right common carotid arteries. Incisions, left and right internal jugular veins Transection of thyrohyoid membrane, epiglottis, and hypopharynx. Incision into cervical spine, C3.

AUTOPSY OF RONALD GOLDMAN His death was ascribed to multiple sharp force injuries including: Sharp force wound of neck, left side, with transection of left internal jugular vein. Multiple stab wounds of chest, abdomen, and left thigh: Penetrating stab wounds of chest and abdomen with right hemothorax and hemoperitoneum. Multiple incised wounds of scalp, face, neck, chest and left hand (defense wound). Multiple abrasions upper extremities and hands (defense wounds). Irwin L. Golden, M.D. Deputy Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Ronald L. Goldman on June 14, Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran believes the knife wounds were done with a single- edged knife