Criminalistics: Death Investigation

Vocabulary terms covering forensic death investigation, including types of injuries, postmortem changes, and specialized forensic fields.

Autopsy

The examination of a body after death, also known as a postmortem examination, with the goal of determining the cause and manner of death.

Buccal swab

A sample collected from the inside of the cheek during an autopsy for the purpose of DNA typing.

Cause of Death

The event, injury, or disease responsible for initiating the sequence of events that ultimately produced the fatal result.

Blunt-force injury

Injuries caused by a non-sharpened object such as a bat or pipe.

Abrasion

A superficial injury caused by the rubbing away of skin; it can sometimes be patterned.

Contusion

A bruise caused by blunt-force trauma to the skin.

Laceration

A splitting, tearing, or shearing injury resulting from blunt-force impact.

Sharp-force injury

Injuries that occur from weapons with sharp edges, such as knives or blades, which are capable of cutting or stabbing.

Asphyxia

A variety of conditions involving interference with the intake of oxygen, including hanging and strangulation.

Petechial Hemorrhages

Small red or purple spots in the eyes that can be indicative of death by asphyxiation.

Manner of Death

The classification of the circumstances that led to a fatal result, categorized as homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, or undetermined.

Homicide

A manner of death resulting from grossly negligent, reckless, or intentional acts of another person.

Algor mortis

The process by which a body adjusts to equalize with the environmental temperature, typically losing heat by $1-1.5^{\circ}\text{F}$ per hour.

Livor mortis

The settling of blood in areas of the body closest to the ground, beginning 20 minutes to 3 hours after death and continuing for up to 16 hours.

Rigor mortis

The shortening of muscle tissue and stiffening of body parts in the position at death, typically occurring within the first 24 hours and disappearing within 36 hours.

Vitreous humor

The fluid in the eye where forensic pathologists measure potassium levels to approximate the time of death.

Forensic anthropology

The field concerned with the identification and examination of human skeletal remains to determine sex, age, race, and skeletal injury.

Forensic entomology

The study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation, commonly used to estimate the time of death.

Postmortem interval (PMI)

The length of time that has elapsed since a person died, often approximated by the developmental stage of insects found on the body.

Blowfly

A common insect, recognized by its green or blue color, which is critical in determining the postmortem interval (PMI).