1. The Forensic Autopsy

2. What is an Autopsy? “See for yourself”
A post mortem examination preformed to determine the cause of death.

3. Why is a Forensic Autopsy preformed?
Cause of death deemed suspicious, or involves criminal action.

4. Experts Who Perform Forensic Autopsies
Forensic Pathologist, aka a Medical Examiner
4 years Undergrad
4 years Medical School
4 years Pathology “Residency”

5. Forensic Pathologist a sub-specialty of pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. 
Autopsy - a postmortem examination to discover the cause of death or the extent of disease.
Autopsy's are normally are called upon when the death is:
Sudden
Violent
Unexplained
Investigators will look into
Manner
Mechanism
Cause
Time

6. Manner of Death In a forensic autopsy, a medical examiner or
coroner declares the death
to be:
Natural
Accident
Homicide
Suicide or
Unknown

7. Natural Death
Caused by a known disease: cancer, heart disease, stroke, genetic disorders, etc.
Often just simply “old age”

8. Accidental Death Caused by mistake or freak occurrence.
Death not planned, but can be explained by circumstances.

9. Homicidal Death Killing another person. Close to you?
Infanticide, Fratricide, Sororicide, Parricide, Patricide, Matricide, Mariticide, Uxoricide
Lots of people…
Genocide – Killing a national, ethnic, racial or religious group
Homicide is the most investigated death, therefore the most autopsied.

10. Suicidal Death Killing of self.
Often the easiest to identify wrt cause.
Can be elaborated further in the report…
Toxic, firearm, blunt force trauma, asphyxiation, etc.

11. Unknown Death
Deaths in absentia
At sea
Badly decayed bodies

12. Mechanism of Death
The physiological dysfunction that results in the death.
Example: death due to the gunshot wound, the mechanism is exsanguination (extreme blood loss). 

13. Cause of Death
The disease or injury that produces the physiological disruption inside the body resulting in death.
Example: a gunshot wound to the chest.

14. Protocol for Performing A Forensic Autopsy?
Corpse brought to M.E.
In a new body bag/clean sheets
Avoids cross-transfer of evidence
Placed on dissection table

15. Physical Examination 2 Parts: External Internal
Physical outer layer – for injuries / cause of death
Internal
Internal organs & tissue - evidence of disease, trauma, toxic substances, organ failure

16. External Examination Steps: Photographed Samples taken: hair, nails
Undressed, examined for wounds
-- Lacerations, abrasions, bruises
Measured, weighed, cleaned

17. Internal Examination Steps of an internal examination. 1. Incisions
“Y”… Behind each ear, down the neck, meet mid-sternum, continue to the groin.
For suspected strangulation – 50% no ext. signs
Show fractured HYOID bone
“T” … From each shoulder, meet top of sternum, continue to the groin.
Better looking finished product

18. Hyoid

19. Internal Examination (cont’d)
Cuts
Chest cavity cut open w/shears or saw.
Removal
Letulle’s “En Masse” method – All organs at once
Ghon’s “En Bloc” method – Organs removed in sections
Organs weighed, examined

20. Internal Examination (cont’d)
Brain examination
Incision: from a point behind one ear, over top of head, to point behind the opposite ear.
Scalp pulled away from the skull, forward and back. Front flap over the face, rear flap over the neck.
Skull cut with electric saw…creates a “bowl”
Brain cut from spinal cord, lifted out of the skull for further examination.

22. Internal Examination (cont’d)
In addition…Major Systems looked at
Cardio-Vascular (Heart & Lungs)
Central Nervous System (CNS)

23. Vitreous Humor Not much? More Potassium? Broken blood vessels?
= Dead longer…
More Potassium?
Broken blood vessels?
= likely strangulation

24. Livor Mortis Meaning…Dis- ‘Color of Death’. Coloration of the skin.
Death = the heart stops = blood stops cycling.
Red blood cells, plasma gather on the bottom part of the body, closest to the floor.
A line forms after 8 hours if the body hasn’t been moved. If moved, a new line forms.
The thicker the line, the longer the body held that position.

25. 3. Livor mortis

26. Algor Mortis Defined as ‘Coolness of Death’. Temperature of body.
In a controlled environment, stating at 98.6 degrees, the body will drop one degree per hour.
This happens because at death, the respiratory system stops working, the body stops functioning, it is no longer moving.
When taking the temperature of a corpse, you can’t take it in the mouth because the muscles will be relaxed and the tongue wont stay on top of the thermometer.
Thinner people cool faster then fat people.

27. Rigor Mortis Defined as ‘Stiffness of Death’. Flexibility of the body.
Shows up 2 hours after death
Peaks 12 hours after death.
Takes hours for entire rigor mortis effect to take place.
At approximately 20 hours after death, the body is at its stiffest.
The eyelids are affected first, the the jaw, face, trunk, arms, legs.
Ends after hours.

28. Factors affecting Rigor mortis ?
Ambient temperature,
Cooler the body the slower the onset of rigor
Person’s weight
Fat stores more oxygen and slow rigor
Type of clothing
Helps keep the body warm

29. Pallor Mortis Defined as ‘Paleness of Death’. Tone of the body.
Happens minutes after death.
Happens due to lack of capillary circulation in the body.
Can not be used to determine time of death except if body is found still with color.

30. Estimating Time of Death
Algor mortis: reduction in body temperature following death
Rigor mortis: stiffening of the body after death
Livor mortis: (Lividity) : settling of the blood in the lower portion
Potassium levels in vitreous humor + Clouding of the cornea
Digestive Contents
Evidence of Decompositional Process
Presence/absence of purge fluids
Drying of the tissue
Insect Larval Instars

31. Digestive Contents Stomach empties contents after 4-6 hrs
Small intestine empties after 24 hrs
Colon empties hrs

32. Stages of Decomposition
2 days
Cells autolysis
Greenish purple staining occurs, blood decomposing
Skin takes on Marbled Appearance
4 days
Skin blisters
Abdomen swells with carbon dioxide
Due to bacteria in intestines
6-10 days
Corpse bloats with CO2
Corpse eventually bursts
Fluid begins leaking from openings as cell membranes rupture
Eyeballs liquefy
Skin sloughs off

33. Forensic entomology
Entomology is study of insects

34. Complete Metamorphosis
72 hrs
143 hrs
130 hrs
50 hrs
23 hrs
35 hrs 34

35. Blowflies are usually the 1st invader
                                         
Can lay eggs within 20 minutes of death
                                35

36. Beetle larvae
                                                   36

37. Ta Da!
The End