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The scene investigation, postmortem changes, and time of death
Keyes, K. A. (Ed.), Ely, S. F., & Gill, J. R. (2023). The scene investigation, postmortem changes, and time of death. In SF. Ely, & JR. Gill (Eds.), Principles of Forensic Pathology: From Investigation to Certification (pp. 65-101). Elsevier Inc./Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91796-4.00030-1
The scene investigation represents one of the most important decision points in forensic practice. Should an investigator go to the scene? Should the body be brought into the medical examiner/coroner office for an examination? Reporting a chronological narrative of what happened (and what did not happen) constitutes the backbone of a quality death investigation report. A variety of death scene scenarios are described and include associated key investigative points. These scenarios include head injuries, descents from heights, drownings, motor vehicle collisions, seizure deaths, suicides, and homicides, among many others. Postmortem changes (rigor, livor, and algor mortis, putrefaction), time of death, crime scenes, mass fatality incidents, and attempts at the postmortem concealment of bodies are also discussed. The role of the forensic anthropologist as a consultant is reviewed.
