Medicolegal Death Investigation encompasses the investigative processes, protocols and techniques involved in ascertaining the cause and manner of a person’s death. Investigations of this type are multifaceted and require the expertise of a multidisciplinary team of skilled practitioners.
A death investigation team may include experts such as death investigators, police officers, crime scene investigators, coroners/medical examiners, pathologists, paramedics, forensic anthropologists, and forensic odontologists, among others.
Each member of the team is critical and each role provides necessary information that may ultimately contribute to the resolution of the investigation. Our goal is to bring a multidisciplinary approach to this course to study the best practices and protocols within the death investigation community.
Many of us in this world are so busy trying to live life beyond its existence that truly living life to its fullest is a rather difficult affair. When you try making children understand a profound concept like Death, its difficult to penetrate through their innocent minds that there is going to be a vacuum created henceforth and that life moves on…For kids its probably a notion that God sent me here for a certain period in life and now that he’s so lonely after having created so many things around him, so he needs me back there! For the oldies "who have seen it all" its only a matter of time when they shall understand death in all its proximities. But truly, do any of us really understand what death is all about? Amidst the pain and the truthful experiences in life that make us wiser by the day its still leaves many questions unanswered, what do we mean by Death?
For younger kids , it’s easy to die for each other, as emotions take the better of us and dying for the other is but a "natural" feeling, though momentarily so! We assume life to be unending only to find that all this time spent was really to better equip yourself with the reality called "Death". Which perhaps explains the reason why as we get older, we tend to become closer and closer to God! Perhaps it’s the final reckoning with the Almighty that makes us do so.
The understanding of Death still remains a vital question. As many philosophies and religions propagate, death is but an extension of life itself. Though this life is more spiritual and less physical. Moreover, life being depicted as fulfilling all your dreams all along its passage makes this notion a wee bit difficult to digest. From a child’s perspective, it only hinders around giving and receiving Love. For children to understand the concept of dying purely means that the Almighty father who created us allowed us to live our lives. And since he created so many of us so that we aren’t loners on this planet, he gave us various examples of human existence, like friends, parents and people whom we related to on a day-to-day existence! When the mother made her six-year old understand the truth behind the created vacuum called Death, although confused, the child still had the sparkle of curiosity, for Death, as it were…..A curiosity, that we share too as adults!
Every death gets investigated. Regardless of whether the manner of death is known or still remains undetermined. When a death gets investigated the number one thing they look for is the cause. Cause of death is a disease or injury that initiated the events that lead to death. There are four manners in determining death, natural, accidental, homicidal, suicidal. An example would be, a gunshot could be three of the about choices. Manner may be undetermined. Each of these manners can be broken down even more. They can be broken into Mechanical Trauma (gunshot, stabbing) or Chemical Trauma (overdose, poison, etc), and even those two classifications can be broken down even more.
Medical Examiners also play a huge role in the investigation of a death. A medical examiner is a doctor/corner that performs an autopsy of the dead person. They open up the person in order to figure out exactly why they died.
With every death there is a death certificate; legal requirements mandate the completion of a death certificate, which will list the cause of death. The death certificate is not only for the relatives but it serves as a use to community. A death certificate functions on two levels. A death certificates primary concern of the medicolegal investigation as in the level of the individual decedent. Another level is legal level. For example, once the death certificate is issued the funeral arrangements can be made, the living spouse can get re-married if so desired, and all the belongings cab be divided between the beneficiaries. A death certificate is also a public health surveillance tool. It allows the members of society to know why the individual died, and it also helps the county to calculate its’ mortality rate.
Imagine that your newborn child was birthed without a hitch. What seems like an ordinary neonate, as health as can be, all of a sudden passes away without any explanation only hours of having been born. Now again, imagine you father seeming to be the picture of health suffers a heart attack suddenly and loses his life in the process. Your teenage brother, an athlete, suddenly drops during a game and loses his life without any real explanation. Sudden death affects a wide number of people throughout the world. You never know who, when, or why it’ll strike next. It could either be someone close to you, or even you yourself!
As defined by the dictionary, sudden death is a sudden and unexpected death. Often times though, an underlying problem can be identified which indicates that a case of sudden death may, in fact, occur, such things as high blood pressure and cholesterol, which can indicate a heart attack. Or a swollen heart which would indicate that someone could suddenly drop if they put themselves through too much activity. But there is one condition which seems to be unexplainable, and that condition goes by the name of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
No one is too keen on understanding what causes SIDS, but it is very much a real thing. Infants cease to live with no real explanation, and for years it’s been this way without a valid explanation.
“SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. (Willinger et al, 1991).
In a typical situation parents check on their supposedly sleeping infant to find him or her dead. This is the worst tragedy parents can face, a tragedy which leaves them with sadness and a feeling of vulnerability that lasts throughout their lives. Since medicine cannot tell them why their baby died, they blame themselves and often other innocent people. Their lives and those around them are changed forever." -ASI (American SIDS Institute)
Sudden Death is something that occurs unexpectedly and from 1 to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms, with or without known preexisting conditions, which can completely throw off a investigator, at the scene of the death, because of the sudden and unexpected nature of their death. In the United States there are 275 unknown and sudden deaths across our country, it is up to the investigator to piece together the clues and find out what happened to the person who has died suddenly. According to the sudden death arrhythmic death syndrome website, the leading cause of this type of death is a heart condition that causes the person to die suddenly or having a form a disease. Also car crashes, obesity, murder, and suicide are also the major forms of sudden deaths in individuals. The investigator’s main goal in all of this is to identify the way the person died, and place the time of death. This is all done when they first arrive on the scene.
The way the medical investigator or coroner, goes about their investigation when they first arrive on the scene is to examine the body UNTOUCHED, and then try to piece together the puzzles of how they died. The main clues to tell of the causes of sudden death are if there are drugs in the home, or near the body, which could lead to an overdose. Another way to identify the causes, of death during an sudden death case is to examine the victims medical history. What this means is that they may have died due to a previous illness, or died from an allergic reaction. Another much more severe matter than natural causes of death is the possibility of a murder or suicide. The way the investigator goes about this is they, again investigate the body for any signs of self-inflicted wounds, or signs of abuse, bullet wounds, or anything along the lines that would constitute a murder.
All of this work the investigator does during the initial investigation tells the investigator, what tests they may need and to either rule out the possibilities of murder, suicide, or death by natural causes. The investigator needs to analyze all of this data in order to rule out any possibilities so they can get the right facts and info to clearly and effectively diagnose the cause of death in the individual. Again to reiterate ALL of this helps the investigator to trace down the real cause of death in which there is no true sign of how that individual may have died. All of this information is crucial, because it helps the families, and members of the city, town, and county, realize how they died and what could have been prevented in their untimely deaths providing a sort of closure, to the people who were involved so there are no unanswered questions left, and no one wondering what really happened to that particular individual who has died, due to the already suddenness of their death.
Deaths from fires and burns are the third leading cause of fatal home injury.The United State’s mortality rate from fires ranks eighth among the 25 developed countries for which statistics are available (International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics .
Although the number of fatalities and injuries caused by residential fires has declined gradually over the past several decades, many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem.
The U.S. has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. For 1998, the U.S. fire death rate was 14.9 deaths per million population.
Between 1994 and 1998, an average of 4,400 Americans lost their lives and another 25,100 were injured annually as the result of fire.
Fire is the third leading cause of accidental death in the home; at least 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in residences.
About 2 million fires are reported each year. Many others go unreported, causing additional injuries and property loss.
The South has the highest fire death rate per-capita with 18.4 civilian deaths per million population.
80 percent of all fatalities occur in the home. Of those, approximately 85 percent occur in single-family homes and duplexes
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. It is also the leading cause of home fire injuries. Cooking fires often result from unattended cooking and human error, rather than mechanical failure of stoves or ovens.
Careless smoking is the leading cause of fire deaths. Smoke alarms and smolder-resistant bedding and upholstered furniture are significant fire deterrents.
Heating is the second leading cause of residential fires and the second leading cause of fire deaths. However, heating fires are a larger problem in single family homes than in apartments. Unlike apartments, the heating systems in single family homes are often not professionally maintained.
Arson is both the third leading cause of residential fires and residential fire deaths. In commercial properties, arson is the major cause of deaths, injuries and dollar loss.
Senior citizens age 70 and over and children under the age of 5 have the greatest risk of fire death.
African Americans and American Indians have significantly higher death rates per capita than the national average.
Although African Americans comprise 13 percent of the population, they account for 26 percent of fire deaths.
On average in the United States in 2010, someone died in a fire every 169 minutes, and someone was injured every 30 minutes.
In 2010, fire departments responded to 384,000 home fires in the United States, which claimed the lives of 2,640 people (not including firefighters) and injured another 13,350, not including firefighters.
Fire and burn injuries represent 1% of the incidence of injuries and 2% of the total costs of injuries, or $7.5 billion each year.
Fatal fire and burn injuries cost $3 billion, representing 2% of the total costs of all fatal injuries.
Hospitalized fire and burn injuries total $1 billion, or 1% of the total cost of all hospitalized injuries.
Non-hospitalized fire and burn injuries cost $3 billion, or 2% of the total cost of all non-hospitalized injuries.
Deaths from fires and burns are the third leading cause of fatal home injury.The United States mortality rate from fires ranks eighth among the 25 developed countries for which statistics are available. Although the number of fatalities and injuries caused by residential fires has declined gradually over the past several decades, many residential fire-related deaths remain preventable and continue to pose a significant public health problem. Each year in the United States and its protectorates,there are about 100 firefighters that are killed while on duty and tens of thousands are injured. Although the number of firefighter fatalities has steadily decreased over the past 20 years, the incidence of firefighter fatalities per 100,000 incidents has actually risen. In the last decade, several high-profile incidents involving firefighter fatalities have brought national attention to the issue of firefighter mortality in the United States. While the attention from the national media has been fleeting, the awareness of the continued high level of fatalities has changed the fabric of the fire service and prompted many organizations and fire departments to initiate programs to protect firefighters. Through research, study, training, improved operations, development of new technologies, the appropriate use of staffing, and other factors, it should be possible to significantly reduce the number of firefighters killed each year. * The U.S. has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. For 1998, the U.S. fire death rate was 14.9 deaths per million population.
Between 1994 and 1998, an average of 4,400 Americans lost their lives and another 25,100 were injured annually as the result of fire. About 100 firefighters are killed each year in duty-related incidents. In each year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined fire is the third leading cause of accidental death in the home; at least 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in residences.About 2 million fires are reported each year. Many others go unreported, causing additional injuries and property loss. Direct property loss due to fires is estimated at $8.6 billion annually.
In the united States there was 1,755,000 fires that happen in 1998, the kitchen has a higher percentage to have a fire then the laundry room. The South has the highest fire death rate per-capita with 18.4 civilian deaths per million population. The 80 percent of all fatalities occur in the home. Of those, approximately 85 percent occur in single-family homes and duplexes. There is so many cause for fires and deaths from fires and here are some reasons. Cooking is the top cause of home fires in the U.S. It is also the leading cause of home fire injuries. Cooking fires often result from unattended cooking and human error, rather than mechanical failure of stoves or ovens. Careless smoking is the top cause of fire deaths. Smoke alarms and smolder-resistant bedding and upholstered furniture are significant fire deterrents. The people that are most at risk of firedeaths are senior sitizens that are age of 70 and over,also children under 5 that have the greatest risk to fire death. In 1996 it is to be said that children under the age of 10, estimated that 17 percent of all fire deaths.
Postmortem interval is estimated based on physical, biochemical, and morphological changes in dead bodies. Many aspects affect onset and the course of the postmortem change. There is no discovered method for the accurate estimation of Postmortem Interval, especially with regards to decomposed dead bodies. Forensic Examiners aim to determine the consistency and the difference in the post postmortem interval estimations in cases. The variations are determined by Forensic medicine assistants and specialists from different centers. The possibility of estimating the post postmortem intervals in standard ways by using only post postmortem changes of decomposed bodies is next to impossible. Therefore, factors such as environmental conditions, the scene and judicial investigation findings should be taken in to consideration, especially in decomposed bodies.
When you find “bugs” on a dead body they can tell an Entomologist how long the body has been dead. Even though Entomologist are highly skilled they will not be able to give you an exact time of death, but the will be able to give you a close estimate. Their estimates range from a few hours for bodies that have been dead for a day or two, and bodies that have been dead for several years their range is normally off a couple months.
Entomologists use the idea of insects to narrow down post postmortem interval. Post postmortem interval is based on how insects develop or grow up. Entomologist need to know tow main items before he can arrive at the post postmortem interval. First he needs to know that insect he is dealing with and its species. Secondly he needs to have some sort of estimate of the temperature as to when the insects were developed. This is just a few of the ways post postmortem interval is reached.
Having to Identify a person who is dead can be very easy, or very difficult. The person may have died of natural causes in their home making it easy to identify them. But what if that is not the case. What if the person was found floating in the river, or laying in the woods with no ID. I am going to discuss the process that law enforcement uses to identify this people. I will touch on the use of finger printing, the use of dental records and of course the use of DNA.
The most common method used is finger printing. When a corpse comes in with no id or any other identifying information on them the police use their finger prints. They simply scan the bottom side of the fingers into the system and try to match them against sets in their data base. This will help identify them provided that their prints are in the system from a previous run in with the law, or maybe from a background investigation.
Another method used might be dental records. If the body were to come in and had been burned leaving no finger prints or identifying features they would turn to these records to help. Everybody goes to the dentist in their life, so chances are they have x-rays of their teeth. Using these X-rays they can match them to the dead body’s teeth, helping them to figure out their name. According to the National Association of Medical Examiners this method was used on average of 10 to 12 thousand times a year since 1995. With the growing number of crime such as murder this number will likely continue to grow.
The use of DNA is a relatively new procedure used by law enforcement to identify the dead. Only one-tenth of a single percent of DNA (about 3 million bases) differs from one person to the next. Scientists can use these variable regions to generate a DNA profile of an individual, using samples from blood, bone, hair, and other body tissues and products. The DNA is the put into a system called CODIS which is basically a databank of DNA. They can try and match the DNA in this system. If it is not matched then it stored so it can be matched in the future to help identify the victim. They could also take DNA from a family member and try to match the victims that way.
The Three methods I have explained above are the most common ways police and coroners use today. With advances in science, medical and technology I would not be surprised if more advanced methods appear in the future.
There are lots of situations in which investigators are needed to identify bodies that have been found at: crime scenes, natural disaster locations, plane crashes, during times of war. How do you identify a body, that has no personal identification? Determining who a Jon/Jane Doe is can sometimes be very strenuous.
Modern science, and technology has enabled death investigators, and forensic scientists numerous ways of identifying an unknown body. Initially, one of the first things that should be noted when the discovery of a body without any forms of identification is made. Is if they don’t have I.D. due to the circumstances leading up to the death of the individual, or if it was a conscious decision made by the individual prior to their death. For example, were they potentially shot and robbed with wallet stolen, or did they die somewhere they wouldn’t have been expected to have any form of I.D. like swimming in a lake/ocean. Or potentially are they an illegal alien with no known forms of identification on any records. Simply knowing that much can get a medico legal death investigator on the right path of the victim being killed, or if it was due to natural or accidental causes, if that information wasn’t known prior to this point.
When it comes to identifying the deceased forensic science and forensic medicine are both crucial weapons in any law enforcement agency's armory.
Fingers: fingerprints carry unique characteristics that can identify every person individually. Fingerprinting has increasingly grown to be the most respected method for identifying persons. Over ten thousand people daily are added to fingerprint repositories in America alone. Fingerprint identifications have lead to more positive identifications of bodies than any other human identification procedure.
Teeth: Often times digital photographs can be taken of the teeth and then compared to a picture of them smiling while they were alive. Teeth are able to be used to identify the remains of persons even when the body is entirely distorted due to fire or water damage.
Bones: Bones identify sex, age, race. The leg and arm bones can also be used to determine overall stature and weight range. Bones can also be used if specific known injuries or issues existed prior to the death of the individual. For example, victim had broken arm as a child, and had pins put in leg. Then evidence of those surgeries or locations of healing will be present on the body. Bones can also be used to determine cause of death, if the person was badly beaten or crushed evidence will show that the injury sustained paired with extent of body’s natural functions such as bleeding, clotting, swelling, and bruising at point of injury are consistent with known time of death and time injury was sustained if both times are not the same initially.
Skull: There are now computer graphics that can be used to perform facial reconstruction allowing a fairly accurate depiction of what the persons face would look like and these pictures could then be distributed to aid in identification. Like other bones, race and sex can also be determined by the skull.
Hair: Results from hair can be very difficult to determine as numerous factors can contribute the results. Everything from the location of where the hair was taken, to the chemicals the person used to treat there hair (shampoo’s, dyes, and hairspray) are able to aid in identifying a person.
Joints and soft tissue: Almost 100 percent of the time, if you have something surgically implanted in you by a surgeon, then it will have a documented serial number on record. For medical examiners, these small codes can close cases and give some comfort to the family of the identified. Originally intended to speed recall of defective devices and ensure patient safety, serial numbers on implants and prosthetics are now being used to hurry the identification of John or Jane Does.
Skin: This depends on the rate and amount of body decomposition, but things such as scars, birthmarks, and tattoo’s can be used in the identification process.
Due to exponential leaps in modern technology and the understanding of DNA matching tests, there is faster and more accurate positive identifications of deceased bodies, which is significantly important in solving crimes.
There are a few ways to identify a dead body, either one that has been murdered or died of natural causes. The first would be Physical items, then Fingerprints, then dental records, and last DNA. There are other less common forms but these are the most used and most effective and efficient in identifying a deceased human.
The first and easiest way to identify a deceased body is to check the body for physical items with the person’s name on it. A small list of these things that people might carry on them when they die are
The list can go on and on but just anything that they would carry in their wallets that would have their name on it. This is the easiest form of identifying a dead body.
The next way to identify a dead body would be finger prints. Finger prints work so well because no two people in the world have the same fingerprints so it is a great way to identify people whos faces cannot be recognized. There are 3 ways of making finger prints visible,
These three methods can effectively make a print visible which can be collected and put through data bases to see if it is anybody that has been fingerprinted before. If they have been finger printed before they will be in the system and they can be identified.
The third way to identify someone is through their dental records. This form of identification is for when there is a lot of physical damage to the body due to fire, acid or decay. Your teeth are much harder than other organic body material you are made of. This is only a good technique when you know if the person was supposed to be there, say a house fire and you know the five people who lived there, but they were unrecognizable, you can then use the dental records to identify who was who, and gwt the right names to the right bodies.
The last form of identifying a body that I will talk about is DNA profiling. This is the longer process and the harder form, but DNA from the dead body can be compared to a hair from a comb of the deceased to see if they are a match and can be identified that way. The DNA from the dead body can also be used to see if you are the parents or not. Taking DNA from both parents can determine whether or not the deceased was related to them or not.
There are other more obscure ways of identifying a body but those four were the easiest and most used methods of identifying a deceased person.
Death by firearms is ranked one of the highest means of death in the United States whether by a homicide, suicide, or accidental death. Approximately 30,000 people die every year in the United States from gunshot wounds. I will examine the characteristics of gunshot wounds, including entry wounds, bullet tracks, and exit wounds.
The entry wound can be distinguished from the exit wound with close examination. The distance from which the gun was fired is determined by the surface of the wound. Wounds in which the muzzle of the gun was placed directly against the victim’s body will show soot on the surface of the skin, possible muzzle imprints, and tearing of the skin from the effect of hot gases being forced into the skin. Close range wounds lack the cuts and tears, produced from the gas, and muzzle imprints but show more powder stippling in a wider diameter around the wound. A long range wound lacks muzzle imprints, gas tears, and powder stippling. A long range bullet does have the unique characteristic of producing an entry hole the size of the actual bullet, unlike that of the other range entry wounds. Even with varying range characteristics, it is often quite difficult to determine the distance of the shot fired. There are many other factors that affect the prediction of range. Some of the factors are actual distance, size of the firearm barrel, gunpowder, angles, and the environment. These all can have a huge effect on the characteristic of the wound and make it hard for the investigator to establish the distance at which the gun was fired.
The track of the bullet can be influenced by many different factors. For example, the type of tissue the bullet impacts can have great effect on the damage done. Tissue with a high specific density, fatty tissue, will sustain more damage compared to tissue with low density and high elasticity found in the lungs. Organs that contain liquid will burst if hit due to high pressure waves. Bones will fragment and shatter when hit and produce tiny missiles that cause even more damage to surrounding tissue. Damage can also be affected by the type of bullet. Hollow point bullets are made to expand and flatten as it hits a substance. This would produce a wider cavity and more catastrophic damage than that of a solid point or full metal jacketed bullet. Also, tumbling of the bullet will produce a more catastrophic bullet track than if the bullet moves through the mass with a perfect spiral produced by the gun.
The exit wound is not intended to exist because most bullets are not made to penetrate the body, intern causing the most damage possible. Using more powerful loads than necessary causes the exit wound. The exit wound is usually larger in size than that of the entry. The reason for this is the lack of substance to contain the exit wound, whether it stays on the spiral axis or tumbles through the body. The exit wound can also be misleading if the victim is leaning against something. This may cause a smaller exit wound because the bullet has a substance to transfer the energy into.
A wound is a "disruption of the continuity of tissues produced by external mechanical force". Medico legal death investigators commonly perform wound pattern analysis. The findings by investigators can be crucial in identifying cause and manor of death. By establishing evidence as to what the weapon was and how it was used can be essential in the convicting of the offender.
Wound pattern analysis involves the recognition, preservation, documentation, examination, and reconstruction of the nature, origin, and intent of physical injuries (Turvey p. 223)
Wound types may vary from bullet, stabbing, blunt force, rape, poisoning (considered to be toxicological domain), burn, or traffic fatality. Regardless of the type of wound, experts can establish clues to the manner of death. Expert pathologists from the Forensic Panel are able to analyze whether the wound was received perimortem or postmortem
Firearms account for almost two-thirds of the homicides committed in the United States so essentially pathologists must be well trained in gunshot wounds. The Forensic Panel employs highly skilled pathologists who are able to distinguish the subtle differences between contact and near contact gunshot wounds, medium range gunshot wounds, and distant gunshot wounds. This process involves both technology and experience to determine various relevant details such as the trajectory, or range of the bullet. The path traveled between entry and exit wounds; the likelihood of survival after sustaining a gunshot; make and model of the gun; and especially the specific manner of death.
Blunt Force Trauma: Blunt force trauma is the impact or contact of a weapon on part of, or all of one’s body. It can vary by the location of the trauma, the weapon used, and force behind the weapon. Blunt force trauma is further analyzed into three sub-categories.
Abrasions - which is the removal of the superficial layers of skin. This could be caused by the body being drug across the floor or even the severe friction caused by clothing if the body was forcefully moved.
Contusions - injuries that cause a break in blood vessels but not the skin. Most commonly known as bruises and hemorrhages.
Lacerations - torn jagged wounds that tend to have abraded edges and are different then sharp force injuries.
Other common forms of wounds are, burns - which are caused directly or indirectly by heat, fire, or chemicals; Sharp force injury‘s - caused by pointed, bladed or edged objects; gunshot wounds; and finally therapeutic/diagnostic wounds - injuries inflicted by EMS personnel during treatment.
Its extremely important to document all actions performed by any emergency personnel to differentiate those wounds from wounds inflicted prior to their arrival.
Not always, but sometimes bruises can be a great indicator of points of injury, force, and size of object used. However a great deal of experience comes into play in determining their validity to the victim. First an investigator must determine if the bruised area was inflicted peri or postmortem. Then differentiating between postmortem bruising and postmortem lavidity has to be made. After the body has set for a period of time the blood begins to settle. This causes a purplish discoloration of the dependent parts of the body with sparing of areas of pressure contact (Turvey). Bruising can vary by age, sex, skin color/race, location of impact. Infants and elderly tend to bruise more easily then do young to middle aged. Women bruise more easily then men because they have more subcutaneous fat, this is especially true of obese women. Skin color plays a factor bruising can be more easily seen in red heads and blondes rather than tanner individuals; in blacks even extensive bruising can be masked by natural skin color.
There are many different forms of wound types that vary anywhere from bullets and stabbing to blunt force and burns. No matter the type, each leaves a different pattern and tells about the victim’s manner of death. A forensic pathologists job is to investigate what the wound ‘tells’ about how and what caused it. Though blunt force wounds don’t always leave the same evidence of diffusion as a gunshot or knife, pathologists may still be able to complete conclusive determinations about the trauma. Pathologist can deter from the wounds if it was caused by any of the following:
Not only would they assess the wound, but also examine the force and magnitude of infliction, which would lead to a conclusion of the cause of injury or death.
“Blunt force trauma is-as its name would suggest- a severe traumatic episode caused to the body or head with the sudden introduction of a blunt instrument used with great force.” This could be caused by an attacker striking out at a victim with: hands, a large piece of wood, baseball bat or other such item that could cause severe damage to a body or skull if impacted quickly. Experimental studies have shown, by analyzing forces generated by punching and kicking a ‘punch-ball’ that men can punch up to a force of 500-750 N and kick between 750-1200 N, while women can only punch up to 350-550 N, and kick 500-750 N.
Now though most cases you may see involve blunt force being caused by a person’s hands, feet, head, or even a bat, or other foreign object; it can also be seen being caused from a car accident, such as from the dashboard, steering wheel, or even the rear of the driver and passenger seats from victims not wearing their seatbelts. Blunt force could even happen without the result of many visible indicators. Individuals who die from this do so because of internal injuries received from the force, resulting in nothing more than exterior bruising that may not seem alarming.
Bruising: Shows good indicator that there are broken blood vessels under the skin’s surface. Although some bruising may occur, this is not technically a definite indicator of how much damage that may have occurred deeper within the body, such as in the chest cavity and even around the lungs.
Abrasions: Cuts, grazing of the skin or friction burns which can be caused by the victim being beaten, dragged or kicked. These wounds can sometimes indicate that a victim hit against something or was hit with something and it can also be used to measure how much of a struggle the victim put up against his or her attacker.
Lacerations: This is the tearing of tissue underneath the skin. An individual may be beaten severely or have sustained a severe bump against a stationary object and underneath the skin there may be severe damage caused to tissue and organs. Visual examinations do not always show this to be case and if the victim has died an autopsy will most certainly be carried out.
It’s also worth mentioning that the above do not always have to be present on the body of the victim of an attack to prove that blunt force trauma has been the root cause. This is because of the differences in the varying areas of the body relating to softness of tissue and mass of bone. In all aspects of blunt force, it’s a given that whether the cause of death can be visually recorded or not an autopsy will be carried out to prove definitively how the victim died.
Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning is the sixth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages, and the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years.
Each day in the United States, nine people drown.For each death caused by drowning, there are 1-4 nonfatal submersion accidents serious enough for the victim to be hospitilized.Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14.Drowning is the leading cause of accidental injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4.Male children have a drowning rate more than two times that of female children. However, females having a bathtub drowning rate twice that of males.Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings occur in residential swimming pools.Four-sided fencing that isolates the pool from the house and the yard has shown to decrease the number of drowning injuries anywhere from 50 to 90 percent.More than half of drownings among infants (under age 1) occur in bathtubs, buckets or toilets.Nonfatal drownings can result in brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning.Nineteen percent of child drowning fatalities take place in public pools with certified lifeguards on duty.Roughly 5,000 children 14 and under go to the hospital because of accidental drowning-related incidents each year; 15% die and about 20% suffer from permanent neurological disability.Seventy-seven percent of those involved in a home-drowning accident had only been missing for five minutes or less when found in the swimming pool; 70% weren’t expected to be in or near the pool at that time.The most common place for a 1-4-year old child to drown is in a home swimming pool.In nearly 9 out of 10 child-drowning deaths, a parent or caregiver claimed to be watching the child.
In 2007, there were 3,443 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) in the United States, averaging ten deaths per day. An additional 496 people died from drowning in boating-related incidents.1,2
More than one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger.1 For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.1
More than 55% of drowning victims treated in emergency departments require hospitalization or transfer for higher levels of care (compared to a hospitalization rate of 3-5% for all unintentional injuries).1 These injuries can be severe.
Nonfatal drownings can cause brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (e.g., permanent vegetative state).
Children: Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2007, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, almost 30% died from drowning.1 Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.3
Between 2000 and 2007, the fatal unintentional drowning rate for African Americans across all ages was 1.3 times that of whites. For American Indians and Alaskan Natives, this rate was 1.7 times that of whites.1
Rates of fatal drowning are notably higher among these populations in certain age groups. The fatal drowning rate of African American children ages 5 to 14 is 3.1 times that of white children in the same age range. For American Indian and Alaskan Native children, the fatal drowning rate is 2.3 times higher than for white children.1
Factors such as the physical environment (e.g., access to swimming pools) and a combination of social and cultural issues (e.g., wanting to learn how to swim, and choosing recreational water-related activities) may contribute to the racial differences in drowning rates. Current rates are based on population, and not on participation. If rates could be determined by actual participation in water-related activities, disparity in minorities drowning rates compared to whites would be much greater.4
Lack of Supervision and Barriers. Supervision by a lifeguard or designated water-watcher is important to protect young children when they are in the water, whether a pool or bathtub. But when children are not supposed to be in the water, supervision alone isn’t enough to keep them safe.
Barriers such as pool fencing should be used to help prevent young children from gaining access to the pool area without caregivers’ awareness.5 There is an 83% reduction in the risk of childhood drowning with a four-sided isolation pool fence, compared to three-sided property-line fencing.
Among children ages 1 to 4 years, most drownings occur in residential swimming pools. Most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time.
Natual Water Settings (such as lakes, rivers, or the ocean). The percent of drownings in natural water settings increases with age. When a location was known, 65% of drownings among those 15 years and older occurred in natural water settings.
Lack of Life Jacket Use in Recreational Boating. In 2009, the U.S. Coast Guard received reports for 4,730 boating incidents; 3,358 boaters were reported injured, and 736 died. Among those who drowned, 9 out of 10 were not wearing life jackets.9 Most boating fatalities that occurred during 2008 (72%) were caused by drowning with 90% of victims not wearing life jackets; the remainder were due to trauma, hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning, or other causes.
Alcohol Use. Alcohol use is involved in up to half of adolescent and adult deaths associated with water recreation and about one in five reported boating fatalities.9, 10 Alcohol influences balance, coordination, and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat.
Seizure Disorders. For persons with seizure disorders, drowning is the most common cause of unintentional injury death, with the bathtub as the site of highest drowning risk.
Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4 years.
Seconds count. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to improve outcomes in drowning victims. The more quickly intervention occurs, the better change of improved outcomes.
Men of all ages, races, and educational levels consistently reported greater swimming ability than women.
Drowning is a quick and silent way of death since the victim is unable to shout and call for help. It is technically a death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen. It’s hard to spot a drowning victim but once you are trained the signs are easier to detect. A drowning victim will have their head in the water or mouth at water level, eyes glassy and empty and unable to focus, they might be hyperventilating or gasping, they might also be trying to swim in a particular direction but not making any progress. Drowning victims can be divided into two categories; active and passive.
Active Drowning: people who are exhausted or hypothermic at the surface, who are not able to hold their mouth about water and are suffocating because of lack of air.
Passive Drowning: People who suddenly sink or have sunk due to a change in their circumstances, like people who are in an accident or lose consciousness due to medical reasons.
There are a few factors that could suggest whether a drowning is homicide, suicide or accidental, but with the proper set up, you can make a fictional drowning look like anything you want.
Shallow water: Drowning in shallow water could indicate either an accident or murder, especially if the victim is undressed. A killer will remove the victim's clothing to make it look like an accident. If the body is fully clothed, it is most likely a suicide since the victim doesn't want to be found nude.
Evidence of other injuries: If the victim shows evidence of gunshot wounds, bruises or cuts, it's likely murder. The discovery of alcohol or drugs at the scene could indicate an accidental drowning.
One example of a drowning that appeared to be an accident is the Natalie Wood case. The tragedy from 1981 has recently turned up new evidence to suggest this accident is actually a homicide. Marilyn Wayne a woman who was on a nearby sailboat has recently come forward with testimony. Wood died while she was boating on the yacht Splendour with her husband, Rober Wagner, and actor Christopher Walken. Her body was found the next morning, floating in the water about a mile away from the yacht. According to police and autopsy reports, she had dozens of bruises on her body and injuries to her face and arms. The official cause of death was listed as accidental drowning, and there was no determination of foul play. Police recently reopened the investigation of Wood’s drowning death, citing “additional information” in the case.
“A woman’s voice, crying for help from drowning awakened John, and he awakened me,” Wayne said in a sworn statement to investigators. “Alarmed, I called out to my son, who also heard the cries, and looked at his new digital watch: it was just minutes after 11:00 P.M.”
“While listening to the cries, we called the harbor patrol but no one answered,” Wayne said in her statement. “Then we called the sheriff’s office in Avalon, 12 miles away, and whoever answered told us a helicopter would be sent, but it did not come. We heard loud music coming from somewhere, so thought there was a party on a nearby boat. Then I heard a man’s voice, slurred, and in aggravated tone, say something to the effect of, “Oh, hold on, we’re coming to get you,” and not long after, the cries for help subsided, but we heard the cries for up to 15 minutes. We returned to bed, terribly disturbed.”
Immersion and Drowning, is defined as the process of deprive of life by immersion in water or other liquid, to be suffocated in water or other fluid and to perish in water. Drowning is the case of a person being submerged in water for a prolonged period of time without oxygen and the ability to keep their own bodies afloat. In the United States according to the CDC(Center of Disease control and prevention, drowning is the 6th leading cause of death in unintentional cases, and 1 in 5 people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. The biggest group that is most at risk to death by this nature is males nearly 80% of all drowning are males, with children ranking out the bottom portion of the two groups that are most at risk of death by drowning. Drowning deaths are most commonly caused by alcohol consumption, boating accidents, child abuse or neglect, falling through ice on a frozen surface, Inability to swim, suicide attempts, sustaining a neck or head injury during swimming. The main ways to identify if a person is drowning, is if they are showing distress in the water, laying motionless in the water, or their mouth is wide open and their head is the only thing showing.
During the actual process of a person drowning, the individual panics and goes underneath the water, with their heart beating in irregular motions because of the fact they cannot deliver oxygen to the brain. The main way to identify if a person has drowned according to emedicinehealth, is if the person has blue or pale skin, with the individual coughing up a pink putum which is the mucus brought up from the lungs. This all happens within the span of 6 minutes which is how long a person’s brain can survive without the constant supply of oxygen to it.
In most cases of boating and swimming accidents the majority of drowning cases happen in mild to cold water temperature, because of the water’s temperature the person enters the state of hypothermia, which is one of the main reasons a person drowns. Hypothermia in its dictionary format is the condition of having an abnormally low body temperature, typically one that is dangerously low. Drowning deaths can however be prevented with proper care and caution. These are done by having supervision, swimming with others around you, learning to swim, and wearing lifejackets in deeper waters, along with knowing the proper weather conditions if you are in open bodies of water. Another helpful hint to avoid death by drowning is to learn cpr, which can bring back the individual from death if the person helping can be on the scene when the person is showing the symptoms of drowning.
In conclusion drowning and immersion deaths are the process of a person being immersed in water or other suffocating actions, such as avalanches or rock slides, preventing the person afflicted from being able to deliver oxygen to their brain which results in the persons death or serious injury to the brain which can result in the person turning into a vegetable for the rest of their lives. Following the tips given in the duration of the paper, death can be avoided saving people the grief of finding their loved ones washed ashore or inside of the family pool. With everything stated all of these deaths can be prevented if the individual is just more cautious about their surroundings.
Asphyxiation is defined as an inadequate supply of oxygen reaching the body. Many deaths have been attributed to asphyxiation. Some types of deaths by asphyxiation include: smothering, carbon monoxide poisoning, and compressive asphyxia.
Smothering occurs when the nose and mouth are partially or completely covered, either with a pillow, hand, or any other item used to stop or restrict oxygen flow to the body. A common occurrence of death by asphyxiation is when babies sleep with their parents. Asphyxiation occurs when the parent roles over on top of the child unknowingly, prohibiting the child from breathing. Sudden infant death syndrome is often mistaken to be the cause of death in these situations when it is not. Smothering is sometimes the cause of death in a homicide, as with the West Port murders. William Burke and William Hare killed many drunks by sitting on the victim’s chest and covering their mouth and nose with their hands. Smothering is the restriction of air by covering the airways which leads to death.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is another type of asphyxiation. Carbon monoxide has a greater affinity than oxygen. Once in the blood stream, carbon monoxide displaces the oxygen stopping blood flow which leads to death. A characteristic of carbon monoxide poisoning is seizures. Seizures cause the constricting of muscles. This explains that when people die from carbon monoxide poisoning they are found with clinched fists and arms tightly against their chest. Carbon monoxide poisoning is deadly and usually has the victim literally fighting for their life during their last few moments on earth.
Compressive asphyxia is the compression of the torso making the victim unable to inhale. Compressive asphyxia often occurs in vehicle accidents when the victim is pinned or crushed by the vehicle. An example of a vehicle pinning a person occurred during maintenance to the vehicle. The victim did not use a properly rated jack; the jack had a leak, or he failed to put the jack in the locked position. While under the car, the jack slowly settled and pinned the man. Because the man sustained no broken ribs characterized by a sudden fall, the cause of death was compressive asphyxia. Concluding, he was pinned and could not inhale, causing death. Large packed crowds can also cause compressive asphyxiation. This is more common than trampling’s caused by large crowds. In conclusion, compressive asphyxia is caused by any type of force crushing or pinning the torso, stopping the breathing process.
Death by asphyxiation can be caused by anything that completely or partially restricts oxygen flow to the body. Smothering, carbon monoxide poisoning, and compressive asphyxia are just some forms of asphyxiation. No matter what type of asphyxiation occurs, the end is the same, no oxygen- no life.
“While some sexual practices can be considered physically dangerous in a general way, sexual asphyxia stands out as having the clear potential to result in a lethal end.” Sexual asphyxia can be practiced in two ones, one as an autoerotic activity, and two as a consensual sadomasochistic act; between two or more people. Equally, nonconsensual asphyxia would be for the needs of the person restricting the other person’s oxygen source and is best described as an intentional criminal act. (Sexual Asphyxia will be referred to as ‘S/M’ from this point on.)
“S/M sex includes a wide range of sexual activities between two consenting adults that may include, but not limited to, the use of physical and/or psychological stimulation to produce sexual arousal and satisfaction. S/M sex is difficult to define precisely because of the wide range of activities involved. There are four major categories of S/M: 1) infliction of physical pain, usually by means of whipping, spanking, slapping or the applications of heat and cold; 2) verbal or psychological stimulation such as threats and insults; 3) dominance and submission, for example, one person ordering the other to do his or her bidding; 4) bondage and discipline, involving restraints such as rope and chains and/or punishment for real or fabricated transgressions.
Given the wide range of S/M, analysts have observed five features generally present in these encounters:
5) Mutual definition- participants must agree on the parameters of what they are doing, whether they call it SM or not.
Hazelwood and Dietz give 12 autoerotic death scene characteristics, as expanded on and discussed in Autoerotic Death by Brent Turvey, and now taken from Turvey’s Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis:
1) Location: in autoerotic deaths, the location is likely to be a secluded area with a reasonable expectation of privacy.
2) Body position: In SM hangings, the victim’s body may be partially supported by the ground, or the victim may even appear to have simply been able to stand up to avoid strangulation.
3) High-risk elements: are items brought into the autoerotic activity to enhance physical or psychological pleasure. Can include anything from drugs and alcohol to weapons. (These will increase the risk of autoerotic death.)
4) Self-rescue mechanism: is any provision that allows the victim to voluntarily stop the high-risk element’s effect.
6) Masochistic behavior: refers to inflicting psychological or physical pain upon sexual areas of the body, or other body parts. It’s important to look not only for indicators of current use but also for healed injuries suggesting a history of such behavior.
7) Clothing: victim may be dressed in fetishistic attire or in one or more article of female clothing. Clothing is not always a useful indication in cases of autoerotic death. It’s possible for victims of autoerotic fatalities to be fully dressed, nude, or in a state of partial undress.
8) Protective measures: victim will often not want injuries sustained during regularly occurring autoerotic behaviors to be visible to others.
9) Sexual paraphernalia and props: are items found on or near the victim that assist in sexual fantasy.
10) Masturbatory activity: absence of sperm or semen at the scene does not rule out autoerotic death. The victim may or may not have been manually masturbating at the time of death.
11) Evidence of prior autoerotic activity: includes evidence of behavior similar to that found at the scene that predates the fatality.
12) No apparent suicidal intent: victim had plans for future events, has no history of depression, and/or had recently paid monthly bills, and had spoken to friends of looking forward to a specific event. Absence of a suicide note is not necessarily an indication of an autoerotic event, if one is present, it must be determined that it was written around the time of death and is not a prop.
Suicide is the third leading cause of deaths for 15-24 year olds. Suicide has affected almost everyone in one way or another whether it being through a friend, family member, or coworker. It’s important to recognize the signs and know what to do. Many teenagers have thoughts of death and these thoughts need to be viewed as a cry for help. Sometimes thoughts turn into actions and can result in attempts on the person’s life. It’s imperative to take a suicide attempt seriously, as many as 25 attempts are made for each suicide that is completed. There is also a correlation between gender and suicide, males are four times more likely to die from suicide than females are even though females have been proved to think about it more often. Females usually tend to resort to cutting or overdosing on drugs while males use more lethal methods such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights. Boys are less likely to call for help and do not allow for intervention the way girls are open to which gives males little opportunity to get into treatment. Teen suicide is preventable and it’s crucial to look for the signs and know what to do in case it happens to someone close to you because when a teen commits suicide it affects everyone around them.
These intense feelings and actions can contribute to a teen’s sense of helplessness and a general feeling that life isn’t worth living. Taking these feelings seriously is an important part of preventing teen suicide. The risk of suicide increases dramatically when the teen has access to a firearm, nearly 60% of all suicides in the United States are committed with a gun.
Suicide among teens often occurs after a stressful event such as a breakup or a death in the family. A teen who is thinking about suicide might:
There are many ways to help someone thinking about suicide, most of the time the person is just looking for someone to listen to them. It’s important to continue to communicate and express feelings of love and concern. If someone confides in you show them that you take them seriously, and that you’re there to help. It’s important not to minimize or discount the problems, this may validate the feelings of hopelessness the teen feels. Another important thing to do is not hesitating to get help. Contact a local mental health association or find a psychiatrist to conduct a proper evaluation. Make sure the person keeps their appointments, even if they claim they are feeling better. No matter what if someone tells you they’re thinking of suicide, don’t brush it off. Take every threat seriously because the one time you don’t is the time it might be true.
Suicide, as defined by Google’s dictionary, is “The action of killing oneself intentionally”. Easy enough, right? Well yea, but if you really want to make things more challenging, then one must get to the root of why people actually commit that act of suicide.
Suicide ends the lives of nearly 30,000 people in America each year. Now, I know that this doesn’t seem like a big number compared to a population of 307,006,550, but it’s still a very significant number. Especially when there are over twice the number of deaths due to suicide than there are due to aids.
Did you know that in more ancient times, when Samurai fought in the lands of Japan, they would commit suicide if they’d ever failed to hold up to their word, they would dishonor themselves and would perform a ritual form of suicide to redeem himself. This ritual form of suicide was called Seppuku, or more specifically called Hara-Kiri. Now I’m pretty sure that there are other tribes out there today who may practice similar rituals, but as far as things go today, suicide is a serious problem within this country.
There is significant research that shows us that there is a very, very strong correlation between depression and suicide. Depression from what, you may ask? Financial difficulty, loss of loved ones, abuse, emotional scarring, birth defects, or even just not feeling beautiful are all plausible reasons as to why some people may want to even consider ending their lives. Depression is a serious thing and usually drives people to wanting to end their lives, and if you notice someone is depressed you should step in to help.
Simply talk to the person you suspect, whether friend, family member, co-worker, or otherwise, this could be the first step to helping someone. The next step is to never keep a plan for suicide a secret. If you feel you need that person to stay alive then put your relationship aside for that person. Tell someone else who can help and another who can help. Get all the help you can! Lastly, don’t make their problems seem small or make them feel bad for feeling the way they do, this will only drive them away.
Suicide is the act of a person taking their own life. Suicide is often commited out of despair. They may have a mental disorder, be depressed, or even have financial difficulties. Believe it or not there are many types of suicide. Self harm, assisted suicide, murder suicide, mass suicide, just to name a few. I will explain this methods and give a little you a little insight on maybe why people do this.
Self Harm is the most common type of suicide. When someone is at the end of their rope, and feel like they have nothing to live for the might end there own life. There are many ways for them to do this. Death by hanging, they take a strong piece of rope or bed sheet or even a belt, rap around there throat to cut off air flow. Some prefer a easier way like taking a gun, and putting a bullet through brain or heart ending their life very quickly. There is yet another way of ending your life. Many will overdose on drugs. By taking a handful of pills one could lay down go to sleep and never wakeup.
Assisted suicide would be killing themselves with help. Individuals who wish to end their own lives may enlist the assistance of another person to achieve death. The other person, usually a family member or physician, may help carry out the act if the individual lacks the physical capacity to do so even with the supplied means. Assisted suicide is a contentious moral and political issue in many countries, as seen in the scandal surrounding Dr Kevorkian, who supported euthanasia, was found to have helped patients end their own lives and was sentenced to prison time.
Mass suicides are another type of suicide. This type is usually caused by peer pressure. One person who has a lot of mind control of a group, like in some religious cults, might convince a group of followers if you will, that they should commit suicide for a certain cause. An example of this would be members of the Peoples Temple in 1978 led by Jim Jones all commiting suicide at the same time for the same cause.
So what causes people to do this. Mental illness is the cause of about 78 percent of all suicide. Substance abuse is another cause. Up to 25 percent of alcholics and drug abusers commit suicide. So there are many reasons why people commit suicide, and many ways to do it, but it all has the same result.
There are many things the first officer at the scene must do to properly contain a crime scene. The first at the scene is responsible for locking down the scene to make sure nothing gets moved or contaminated before the entire scene has been documented and all evidence has been collected and tagged. Here is a list of a few things the first officer at the scene must do,
2. Notify or request notification of DA representative (Only for legal questions, do not allow a lawyer to get involved in the actual investigation. Their training limits them to the providing advise on legal issues only).
a. Clear unauthorized person from the scene. NOTE: You cannot worry about hurting someone’s feelings. If they do not belong tell them to leave. This must include any unauthorized police command.
b. Prevent anyone from touching the body or disturbing anything pending the arrival of the medical examiner, identification personnel,and investigative officers.
CAUTION - Be aware that there are search and seizure problems in this area. If in doubt you may wish to contact your DA regarding a warrant or other advise.
NOTE: - At night - Obtain adequate lighting before scene processing commences. Artificial lighting used must be adequate for photography and for minute detail search for items such as hair, cartridge cases, etc.
WHEN LIGHTING NOT AVAILABLE - secure scene under guard and wait for daylight before processing is commenced.
Investigating cause of death doesn’t just apply to people. When pets or wild animals die, we can perform a necropsy (autopsy of an animal) to find out why. You can do a necropsy in a lab or in the field. Especially in wild animals, you need to be aware of some of the diseases that you can be exposed to and take proper precautions. Number one thing to look for before you even open up the animal is anthrax in a blood smear. Ruminant animals with anthrax will have a large, dark spleen, while carnivores will have a swollen head or neck due to edema in the soft tissues. Blood smears of anthrax contain large bacterial rods (3-10 µm long by 1 µm wide) with blunt ends surrounded by a capsule. The bacteria occur singly or in short chains. Anthrax should not be confused with clostridium. Carcasses with anthrax should not be necropsied. Also be aware of other zoonotic diseases that can be transmitted to humans, livestock, or other wildlife. Carcasses with anthrax or other infectious diseases should be buried (preferably covered with a disinfectant and buried at least 2 m deep to prevent scavenging).
When determining cause of death, some things to consider include: weather conditions, temperature, signs of struggle, pre-mortem versus post-mortem wounds (signs of scavenging), bleeding, bruising, broken boned, missing hair, broken or missing teeth, or other signs of trauma. Look for and preserve any external parasites. Determine the nutritional status of the animal. Note: weight, body measurements, the amount of fat around the heart and kidneys, the muscle mass, the amount of food in the digestive tract, and the condition of the teeth.
Collect samples for further analysis such as histology, microbiology (bacteriology and virology), serology, toxicology, parasitology, and cytology. Begin necropsy. Describe any and all abnormalities, as well as conditions of the organs and body systems. Remove stomach and intestines first, but open them last to prevent contamination of the necropsy site. Look at all the organs, lymph nodes, glands muscles, nerves, bone marrow, and tissues. Also, look at the cranial cavity and the brain.
Remember, work as a team with each department. You may be looking at an animal that had been attacked, poisoned, had cancer, kidney failure, etc, or it could be a combination of multiple things. It may take many specialists to determine the cause of death.
Classwork is an important aspect of career preparation. Learning about things relevant to your career and interests will help make you more effective. However, it is always a good idea to do things outside the classroom and get a more hands on learning experience. That is exactly what happens when Josh Hunter comes to town.
Current Homeland Security officer and former Colby Community College alumni Josh Hunter annually puts on a scenario for students of criminal justice, EMT, and more. These scenarios involve real life emergency situations where the students are in charge of handling whatever might come their way. These scenarios are designed to help students learn by doing, and get out in legitimate opportunities. As a freshman I never got the opportunity to experience these scenarios until this year.
The basis of this year’s scenario was dealing with a meth lab. We had learned about meth users, meth labs, and the dangers of meth in a power point presentation by Josh the day before the scenario. What the scenario involved was a small shack by the Colby fairgrounds with several actors playing the part of meth users or innocent by-standers effected by the meth lab fumes in the area. The criminal justice students playing patrol officers had to answer the calls and go to the scene to find out what was going on. Once they discovered the meth lab and everyone in need of medical attention they called for medical help, which is where EMT students came in to do their part. Also, students training for HASMAT teams were also called in to get to suit up and practice on what it would be like to deal with a real meth lab. The EMT students took the actors back to campus where they were in the care of Colby Community College nursing students. Not only were students at the scene, but also so were their instructors of different fields observing them and making sure not to budge in so they could get a full experience. At it’s peak the scenario had four ambulances, a HASMAT truck, and dozens of participants dealing with the “meth lab” at the fairgrounds. It gave several people involved the opportunity to practice a situation that they could face in any day in their careers.
For me personally I had the opportunity to work on the emergency management side. The Thomas County Emergency Manager and myself watched the whole scene and listened to the events of the scenario through dispatch radio to make sure everything was written down. I really didn’t know much at all about emergency management but it was interesting learning about how the emergency managers office takes care of several different scenarios and situations coordinating with everything from police to EMS.
For any new criminal justice students or really any student who has the opportunity to be involved in this scenario I would certainly recommend it. These scenarios give the unique opportunity to step outside the bounds of the classroom and apply what you’ve been hearing and reading about. A wide range of students can find a way to make these scenarios not only a meaningful but also fun experience. It is important to arm yourself with all the tools you can to make yourself better, and in the words of Josh these scenarios are just another tool you’ll have in your box fort he future.
In criminal justice, there are ways to describe a crime scene. Learning about different things can have an influnence on what you would like to do in life. Throughout the school year we watch movies, talk about crime scenes, and projects. The effective way is doing it yourself as if it would happen in reality. Josh Hunter comes up with the best scenarios to make help you see how its really like on a more hand on basis.
Josh Hunter attended Colby Community College as a student. He is now working for Homeland Security. Every year he comes down and takes us through a scenario. Josh Hunter really makes it real, challenging, and fun. He have several roles that you can play as of what your carrer would be based upon. This really helped me in seeing how things really works.
The scenario this year was about meth and how dangerous meth labs could be. Josh Hunter came to class and had a presentaion of a powerpoint about meth. He showed how meth can be used, the effects of meth, and what can be found in meth/meth labs. The scenario started at the Colby Fairgrounds. The meth lab was a small shack. Josh had different people playing roles such as actors, civilians, and meth heads. The CJ students playing the role as police officers such as myself, got to have a police belt, a gun, and a real police radio. The officers split up into teams and had real police officers as guids. We got the calls from by standers about suspious behavior at the fairgrounds. The officers investigated the scene. When people was hurt we had Colby EMT students that treated the wounded. Any people that was infected by the meth labs had Colby Students as HASMAT people to disinfect people. The whole scenario was great. It was opportunities to get the students to see how a real crime scene can happen. Everybody had they parts and played them wll.
As for myself, playing the role as an police officer was the toughest job. You had to be be quick to respond. You had to know what to do and be smart about your decisions. Had to call in your locations on the radio with your team. We started from the school and got to ride in police cars with the offciers. I had a chance to really act out a role as a police officer as you would see on television.
In my opinion, anyone that will be doing an scenario with Josh Hunter will be excited. This was the best experience i have had . I encourage any CJ students to get involved because Josh Hunter Scenarios is a great opportunity to see what can reall happen. It makes you realize your mistakes and helps you out with what you would like to do as a career in the criminal justice filed. The scenarios can be challenging but most of all can be fun. Once again this was a great experience and look forward to doing it again next year with my fellow CJ Students.
Current Homeland Security officer and former Colby Community College alumni Josh Hunter annually puts on a scenarios for students of criminal justice, EMT, and more. Hunter designs these scenarios in a way that we can work along side with real officers and get hands on with what is happening. This is basically a guide line to what we possibly would be dealing with when we go into the law enforcement. As a Sophomore this was the first time I got involved with this.
The scenario this year was dealing with a meth lab. The day before Josh Hunter talked to us about meth users, meth labs, and the dangers of meth on a power point presentation. The scenario involved a small shack at the fairgrounds in Colby, with many of us acting out as meth users, or innocent by-standers affected by all the commotion with all the officers around. Criminal Justice students played the role of a patrol officer, where they had to answer calls and go to the scene. Once they discovered the shack was a meth lad they called for medical assistance , which was students as well playing a role as the EMT. Students training for the HASMAT team were there as well to practice suiting up and going in a real meth lab and experiencing it. The EMT students took actors of this scenario back to the College where they worked on the affected ones, they made sure not to move and inch so that the trainees could get the full experience from it. At the peak of this scenario, there was 4 Ambulances, a HASMAT team, and many participants dealing with the meth lab incident. It was a good experience for the students to see what could happen with this at any time of there career.
We played the part of a by-stander curious of the small shack, we were told to bug the students training as they could deal with annoying people like us, and they got to know how to deal with it in a cautious way. Although if it wasn't for important stuff outside of scenario, we would of liked to have hung around and take in everything that was going on, but instead we had to leave.
For any new student that would be given the opportunity to play a role in this scenario, I would recommend to go to it, as you will learn a lot of new things even if this is not part of your future career trade.
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