chapter 5 Forensics

Forensic Pathologist: Investigative personnel who examine the cause, manner, and time of death of victims; conduct autopsies; and testify in court.

Autopsy: A surgical postmortem examination performed to ascertain the cause of death, involving examination of the body, organs, and bodily fluids.

External Examination ("View"): Preliminary examination of the body's condition and clothing without internal dissection, including injury classification and possible toxicology testing.

Internal Examination: Dissection and examination of internal organs to determine trauma and collect samples for further analysis, typically involving a Y-shaped incision.

Blunt Force Injury: Injury caused by a non-sharpened object, resulting in abrasion or bruising (contusions).

Sharp Force Injury: Injury from weapons with sharp edges, including cuts (longer than deep) and stabs (deeper than long).

Asphyxia: Death caused by interference with oxygen intake, such as hanging, carbon monoxide poisoning, or sexual choking.

Petechiae: Pinpoint hemorrhaging often observed in victims' eyes during cases of asphyxia.

Gunshot Wounds: Injuries resulting from projectiles fired by firearms, characterized by gunpowder residue and wound appearance.

Substance Abuse (Overdose): Death resulting from drug misuse, commonly identified through toxicological tests.

Cause of Death (COD): Medical reason for death, e.g., injury, disease, substance abuse.

Manner of Death (MOD): Circumstances under which death occurred, classified as natural, accidental, suicide, homicide, or undetermined.

Algor Mortis: Cooling of the body postmortem, typically at 1-1.5°F per hour until reaching environmental temperature.

Livor Mortis: Postmortem pooling of blood in body parts closest to the ground, noticeable from 20 minutes to 16 hours after death.

Rigor Mortis: Postmortem stiffening of muscle tissue, appearing within 24 hours and resolving by approximately 36 hours.

Forensic Anthropology: Examination of human skeletal remains to determine sex, age, race, skeletal injuries, and assist with facial reconstructions.

Forensic Entomology: Study of insects at crime scenes to estimate the time since death (postmortem interval) based on insect life cycles, particularly blowflies.

Postmortem Interval (PMI): The estimated time elapsed since a person's death, often determined by insect development stages and environmental conditions.

Blowfly: Commonly studied insect in forensic entomology, known for laying eggs on deceased remains that develop into larvae (maggots).

Toxicology Examination: Tests conducted on bodily fluids and tissues postmortem to detect and measure drugs, alcohol, or toxins.

Evidence Collection (Autopsy): Items typically collected include victim's clothing, fingernail scrapings, hair samples, bullets, swabs for DNA and gunshot residue analysis.