1. Tuesday March 14th, 2016 Today: Short Notes on Death
“Stop hating yourself for everything you aren’t. Start loving yourself for everything that you are” – Unknown
Happy National Potato Chip Day and Learn about Butterflies Day
Fun Fact: The average person in the U.S eats 35 tons of food in a lifetime
Today: Short Notes on Death
Death Scenario Worksheet

2. Thursday March 16th, 2016 Today: Famous People Death Scenarios
“Stop hating yourself for everything you aren’t. Start loving yourself for everything that you are” – Unknown
Happy National Artichoke Heart Day
Fun Fact: There’s a toilet-themed restaurant in Taiwan, where food is served on miniature toilets
Today: Famous People Death Scenarios
DUE WHEN WE GET BACK FROM BREAK

3. Death: Meaning, Manner, Mechanisms, Cause and Time
Chapter 11

4. Death
Death: the cessation of life; heart stops beating causing the cessation of blood circulation
Death is a process
Heart stops beating
Oxygen levels in the body drop
Cells begin to die from lack of fresh oxygen
Nerves, muscles, organs and the brain stop working
Outward signs of death can be seen while a person is still alive

5. Death
Autopsy: examination on the deceased; especially when the death is suspicious or unnatural
Autopsy is performed by a medical doctor known as a Forensic Pathologist
Pathologist determines the manner of death, cause of death, and mechanism of death

6. Manner of Death
Manner of Death: one of the four means by which someone dies
Natural Death: failure of body functions resulting from age or disease
Most common manner of death
Accidental Death: caused by unplanned events
Car accident, falling from a ladder, electrocution
Suicide: a person purposely kills themselves
Hanging, drug overdose, gunshot, self poisoning, jumping off a cliff
Homicide: death of a person caused by another person
“Fifth” manner of death is undetermined
Put on death certificate when official cause can’t determined
Allows investigators to continue investigating

7. Manner of Death
Given the following examples, determine the manner of death
A man with a heart condition is attacked and dies from a heart attack during the assault. Is the manner of death accident or homicide
An elderly woman dies after being kept from receiving proper health care by her son. Is the manner of death accident or homicide

8. Cause of Death Cause of Death: the reason someone dies
Disease, physical injury, stroke, heart attacks, shooting, burning, drowning, strangulation, hanging and suffocation
Proximate Cause of Death: underlying cause of death
Example: if someone is exposed to large amounts of radiation and then develops cancer, the proximate cause of death is the radiation exposure

9. Mechanism of Death
Mechanism of Death: the specific change in the body that brought about death
Example: The cause of death is a shooting; the mechanism of death could be loss of blood
Example: Cause of death is a heart attack; the mechanism of death could be the heart stopping to beat or it could be pulmonary arrest
Forensic pathologist report can include the cause and mechanism of death in a single statement
Example: Someone killed in a car accident may have died from “massive trauma to the body leading to pulmonary arrest”
Cause of Death:
Mechanism of Death:
trauma to the body
pulmonary arrest

10. Check For Understanding 1
The cessation of life
The specific change in the body that brought about death
The reason someone dies
Purposely taking your own life
Examination of a dead body to determine cause of death
Define Manner of Death
Getting struck by lightening and dying is considered
The 4 manners of death
Purposely killing another human

11. Quick Activity
Read the following scenario and decide the manner of death, cause of death, mechanism of death
A man is shot during a robbery, the man is stabilized and taken to the hospital. At the hospital he develops pneumonia. Pneumonia leads kidney failure, liver failure, heart failure and death. The man had previously suffered from lung and heart disease. He would’ve probably survived the pneumonia if it wasn’t for his prior lung and heart disease.
Manner of Death:
Cause of Death:
Mechanism of Death:
Homicide- being shot during the robbery
The gun shot
Heart failure

12. Tuesday March 28th, 2016 Today: Continue Notes on Death
Celebrity Death Scenarios from before Spring Break is DUE FRIDAY
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you” – Jim Rohn
Happy National Something on a Stick Day
Fun Fact: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words

13. Time of Death
The Forensic Pathologist is responsible for determining a Time of Death
Postmortem Interval: the time elapsed from the moment of death until a corpse is discovered

14. Time of Death
Livor Mortis: the pooling of the blood in tissues after death, resulting in a reddish color to the skin
Lividity: pooling of blood
Blood seeps down and settles in the lower parts of the body
Red blood cells turn bluish-purple; causing the skin to get a bluish tint where the blood is pooled
Lividity begins about 2 hours after death

15. Time of Death Lividity Continued
Lividity will be present 2-8 hrs after death
if the skin is pressed the color will disappear
Discoloration caused by lividity becomes permanent after 8 hrs
if skin is pressed the color will remain
Ambient temperature affects the time for lividity to set in
Hot: livor mortis occurs faster
Cold/Room Temperature: livor mortis occurs slower

16. Time of Death Lividity Continued
Lividity can also reveal if the body has been moved
Dual Lividity occurs if body is moved from one place/position to another between the 2-8hrs between lividity becomes permanent

17. Time of Death
Rigor Mortis: the stiffening of the skeletal muscles after death
Live muscles fibers slide back and forth
After death, muscle fibers become locked in a flexed (stiff) position
Without oxygen in the blood
Calcium accumulates in the muscles
Muscles stiffen
Starts 2 hrs after death
Stiffness starts in the head and works its way down to the legs
After 12 hrs body is at its most stiff
Stiffness gradually disappears after about 36 hrs
If body shows no visible rigor mortis it has either been dead for less than 2hrs or more than 48 hrs

18. Time of Death Rigor Mortis Continued Factors affecting rigor mortis
Ambient Temperature
Cooler the body, slower for rigor to kick in. Hotter the body, quicker for rigor to kick in
A person’s weight
The more body fat on a person, the slower for rigor to kick in
Type of clothing
Presence of clothes on a body accelerates rigor
Illness
Someone dies with a fever it accelerates rigor
Level of physical activity before death
Exercise raises body temperature, accelerating rigor
Sun Exposure

19. Progression of Rigor Mortis
Time After Death
Event
Appearance
Circumstances
2 to 6 Hours
Rigor begins
Body becomes stiff and stiffness moves down the body
Stiffness begins with eyelids and jaw muscles after 2 hrs, followed by the center of the body and the arms and legs
12 Hours
Rigor complete
Peak rigor is exhibited
Entire body is rigid
15 to 36 Hours
Slow loss of rigor
Loss of rigor in small muscles first followed by larger muscles
Rigor lost first in head and neck and last in bigger leg muscles
36 to 48 Hours
Rigor totally disappears
Muscles become relaxed
Many variable may extend rigor beyond the normal 36 hours

20. Factors Affecting Rigor
Factors Affecting Rigor Mortis
Factors Affecting Rigor
Event
Effect
Circumstances
Temperature
Cold
Warm/Hot
Inhibits rigor
Accelerates rigor
Slower onset, slower progression of rigor
Faster onset, faster progression of rigor
Activity before death
Aerobic Exercise
Sleep
Slows rigor
Lack of oxygen to muscle, the buildup of lactic acid and higher body temperature accelerates rigor
Muscles fully oxygenated will exhibit rigor more slowly

21. Factors Affecting Rigor
Factors Affecting Rigor Mortis Continued
Factors Affecting Rigor
Event
Effect
Circumstances
Body Weight
Obese
Thin
Slows rigor
Accelerates rigor
Fat stores oxygen
Body loses oxygen quickly and body heats faster

22. Check For Understanding 2
Pooling of blood
Stiffening of skeletal muscles after death
6 factors which affect rigor mortis
pooling of blood after death which causes the skin to look reddish
How does temperature affect lividity
What happens after 36 hrs of rigor mortis
How does sleep affect rigor mortis
When is peak rigor mortis present

23. Wednesday March 29th, 2016 Today: Continue Notes on Death
Calculating Postmortem Interval
Celebrity Death Scenarios from before Spring Break is DUE FRIDAY
“Only you can control your future” – Dr. Seuss
Happy National Little Red Wagon Die
Fun Fact: McDonalds opens a new restaurant every 14.5 hours

24. Time of Death Algor Mortis: describes temperature loss in a corpse
after death the body no longer generates heat
the body’s temperature is taken through the liver
how fast a body loses heat has been measured; investigators can determine time of death via temperature
1 hour after death body cools at a rate of .78o C (1.4oF) per hour
after 12 hrs the body loses about .39o C (0.7oF) per hour until it reaches ambient temperature
Air temperature and environmental factors are noted, environment will affect the rate at which the body loses heat

25. Time of Death Stomach and Intestinal Contents
Time of death can be determined by the body’s stomach contents
It takes 4 to 6 hours for the stomach to empty it’s contents into the small intestine
another 12 hours for it to exit the small intestine
24 hours from when you eat the undigested food to be released from the large intestine
if undigested stomach contents are present, death occurred 0 to 2 hours after last meal
if the stomach is empty but food is found in the small intestine death occurred 4 to 6 hours after last meal
if the small intestine is empty and waste is found in the large intestine death occurred 12 hrs after the last meal

26. Time of Death Decomposition: rotting of all tissues and organs
Bacteria and microorganisms decompose the body internally
Decomposition depends on
Age: younger people decompose FASTER than the elderly
Size: overweight people break down faster than average weight people
Nature of Death: sick people decompose faster than healthy people
Environment: Naked bodies decompose quicker than clothed people
Bodies decompose fastest between 70-99o
Higher temperatures dry out the body and preserve it
Colder temperatures prevent bacterial growth and slow down decomposition

27. Time of Death Stages of Decomposition 1. Within 2 days after death
Cell death begins
Green and purplish staining occurs due to blood breakdown
Face becomes discolored
2. 4 days after
Skin blisters
Abdomen swells with carbon dioxide (CO2); which is released by bacteria living in the intestines
days
Body bloats with CO2, as bacteria continue to feed on tissues
Gas causes chest and abdominal cavities to burst and collapse
Fluid leaks from body openings; caused by cell membrane ruptures
Eyelids and other tissues liquify
Skin sloughs

28. Stages of Decomposition
What Occurs
Initial Decay
Corpse appears normal on the outside
Internally decomposing from bacteria and cell death
Putrefaction
Odor of decaying flesh, corpse looks swollen
Black Putrefaction
Strong odor, parts of the flesh appear black, gas escapes, corpse collapses
Butyric Putrefaction
Corpse begins to dry out, most of the flesh is gone
Dry Decay
Corpse is almost dry, decay slows due to lack of moisture

29. Check For Understanding 3
5 stages of decomposition
4 things which decomposition depends on
Corpse looks normal externally but inside it’s beginning to decompose
Temperature loss in a corpse
How many days does it take for the skin blisters, corpse bloats because CO2
Odor of decaying flesh, corpse looks swollen
Rotting of all tissues and organs

30. Insects
Forensic Entomology: the use of insects in decomposing remains to aid legal investigations
Collects insect evidence from on, above and below the body
Records the environmental conditions
Insect life cycles are affected by fluctuations in the daily environmental conditions, insects cannot provide an exact time of death, only a close estimate
At crime lab some of the insects are raised under environmental conditions that mimic the environmental conditions at the crime scene

31. Insects Forensic Entomology
Blowflies are usually the first insects to arrive at a dead body
Entomologist know how long it takes for blowfly development at certain temperatures so they can determine when the blowflies arrived
Identifying the stage of blowfly development by change in
size
color
mobility
number of spiracle slits

32. Blowfly Lifecycle Stage Size Color 1st Appearance Duration
Characteristics
Egg
2 mm
white
soon after death
8 hrs
found in moist, warm areas of body (mouth, eyes, ears, anus)
Larva 1
5 mm
2 days
20 hrs
black mouth hooks visible, thin body, one spiracle slit near anus
Larva 2
10 mm
2.5 days
15-20 hrs
actively feeding on the body, two spiracle slits near anus
Larva 3
17 mm
4-5 days
36-56 hrs
develops fat bodies, three spiracle slits near anus
Pre-Pupa
9 mm
8-12 days
hrs
larva migrates away from body to a dry area
Early & Late Pupa
light brown
18-24 days
6-12 days
immobile doesn’t feed
Adult
Varies
black or green
21-24 days
Several weeks
incapable of flight for first few hours