Autopsy Based Retrospective Analysis of Demographics and Cause of Death in Decomposed Bodies

Innovative Publication, 2016

Introduction: Decomposition Changes in the corpse is the final stage of degradation of the body. These changes sets in after disappearance of rigor mortis where by complex organic structures are broken down into simpler variants by the action of anaerobic bacterial flora and autolytic digestive action of enzymes outpoured during cellular death. Concealment of crime by hiding the bodies is a common practice. Often these bodies are found in various stages of decomposition at the time of recovery. Injuries (including open wounds) over body surface attract insects and provide warm and suitable micro-environmental conditions for eggs laying, in addition to natural and cozy body orifices. Aim: The objective of the present study is to correlate the cause of death (including open wounds) with respect to decomposition of human bodies, to study the distribution pattern of injuries over body and to find effect of clothing status on the overall decomposition process. Material and Methods: The present study was carried out during 2009-2012 and involved 100 human corpses in various stages of decomposition. All necessary and vital information was assembled from police papers regarding location of body, crime scene, last seen alive etc. History narrated by relatives was correlated with the condition of the body and police history. Cases were classified according to their status of decomposition, clothing status of the corpse was identified as partial, complete and naked. Injuries present were recorded according to their size and location. Observations and Results: Out of the total 100 cases studied, 6 cases were in stage 1, 31 in stage 2, 34 in stage 3, 25 in stage 4 and 4 cases were in stage 5. 55 cases were fully clothed, 28 cases partially clothed while 17 cases were naked. In 25% cases injuries were case of death. In 10% cases pathology and infection was cause of death. In 44% cases head (including face) & neck was the commonest site of injury. 60% cases of injuries were recorded in month of April to September. 82% of bodies found naked were recovered in advanced stages of decay. Conclusion: The present study highlights that while injuries are a definitive additive parameter to the process of decomposition, other cause of death also influence rate of decomposition of human corpses. Injuries, particularly in combination with other suited conditions over various body parts ideally allow for the growth of various predators and work cumulatively in ultimate demolition of the body. Exposed corpses were found especially susceptible to alterations in any given conditions.

Forensic science international, 2016

Penetrating trauma has been cited as a significant factor in the rate of decomposition. Therefore, penetrating trauma may have an effect on estimations of time-since-death in medicolegal investigations and on research examining decomposition rates and processes when autopsied human bodies are used. The goal of this study was to determine if there are differences in the rate of decomposition between autopsied and non-autopsied human remains in the same environment. The purpose is to shed light on how large incisions, such as those from a thorocoabdominal autopsy, effect time-since-death estimations and research on the rate of decomposition that use both autopsied and non-autopsied human remains. In this study, 59 non-autopsied and 24 autopsied bodies were studied. The number of accumulated degree days required to reach each decomposition stage was then compared between autopsied and non-autopsied remains. Additionally, both types of bodies were examined for seasonal differences in de...

Journal of Armed Forces Medical College, Bangladesh, 2015

Introduction: Forensic Pathologists are often performing autopsies in death investigation. There are five legally-defined manners of death namely natural deaths, accidental deaths, homicidal deaths, suicidal deaths and undetermined deaths. Natural deaths are those that occur from natural causes such as disease or old age rather than from violence or an accident. Objectives: To determine the socio-demographic profile of postmortem cases and to evaluate information regarding manners of deaths as determined by those cases. Methods: This record based cross-sectional study of postmortems performed at the mortuary of the Department of Forensic Medicine; Dhaka Medical College (DMC) was conducted during the period of January 2006 to December 2006. Most of the victims were brought to DMC morgue from south-eastern part of Dhaka district. A total of 3012 autopsies were analyzed during the period. Morgue caters 18 police stations under Dhaka city. Data were collected using a pre-designed schedu...

Medical expertise is crucial in death investigations. It begins with body examination and evidence collection at the scene and proceeds through history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and diagnosis – in short, the broad ingredients of a doctor’s treatment of a living patient. The key goal is to provide objective evidence of cause, timing, and manner of death for adjudication by the criminal justice system. Death investigation has been performed for centuries in all societies, although not always by medical professionals (Committee, 2003). The association of law and medicine dates back to the Egyptian culture as early as 3000 B.C. The English coroner system was mentioned in documentations around the 12th century B.C. (Spitz, 2006). Although the primary goal of a death investigation is to establish the cause and manner of death, the role of the death investigation extends much further than simply answering these two questions. A common question asked is, “Why does it matter? The person is dead.” While it is true that the dead cannot benefit, the value in death investigation is to benefit the living and future generations. In a culture that values life, explaining the death in a public forum (the meaning of “forensic”) is crucial for many reasons. And this interest goes beyond simple curiosity (Wagner, 2009). In homicide, suspected homicide, and other suspicious or obscure cases, the forensic medicine expert should visit the scene of the death before the body is removed. Local practice varies but any doctor claiming to be a forensic medicine expert should always make himself available to accompany the police to the locus of the death. This duty is often formalized and made part of a contract of service for those forensic medicine experts who are either full-time or substantially involved in assisting the police, in England and Wales, the 'Home Office Pathologists' are permanently on call for such visits and in many other jurisdictions, such as the medical examiner systems in the USA, and the European State and University Institutes of Forensic Medicine, there is usually a prearranged duty roster for attendance at scenes of death (Saukko & Knight, 2004). In many cases, the scene investigation is more important than the autopsy. A thorough and complete investigation commonly leads to the proper diagnosis of the cause and manner of death prior to an autopsy (Avis, 1993; Dix & Ernst, 1999). Why go to the scene? The purpose of having the forensic medicine expert attend the death scene is severalfold. By viewing the body in the context of its surroundings, the forensic medicine expert is better able to interpret certain findings at the autopsy such as a patterned imprint across the neck from collapsing onto an open vegetable drawer in a refrigerator. The forensic medicine expert is also able to advise the investigative agency about the nature of the death, whether to confirm a homicide by a specific means, evaluate the circumstances to be consistent with an apparent natural death, or interpret the blood loss from a deceased person as being more likely due to natural disease than to injury. This preliminary information helps the investigative agency to define its perimeter, structure its approach, organize its manpower, secure potentially important evidence, and streamline its efforts. Nonattendance at death scenes has been regarded as one of the classical mistakes in forensic pathology. Hospital pathologists performing forensic autopsies who are not trained to, or able to, attend death scenes should be provided with information on how, when, and where the body was found, by whom, and under what circumstances. In some deaths, the immediate environment does not contribute to death, such as in cases of metastatic breast carcinoma. In other cases, the environment plays a role although it does not cause the death; for example, consider a case in which a person with marked coronary atherosclerosis collapses with a dysrhythmia while shoveling snow. On the other hand, the scene description and scene photographs are critical in documenting that the physical circumstances and body posture are indicative of death due to positional asphyxia because the autopsy in these cases may yield very few findings. The most meticulous autopsy in all academia will provide only a speculative cause and manner of death in a 30-year-old man with a negative history, negative toxicology, and autopsy findings of visceral congestion. Yet at the scene, a screwdriver is next to an uncovered electrical outlet on a rain-soaked patio at the decedent's house, which is undergoing renovation. The cause and manner of death are provided by the scene (Lew & Matshes, 2005). The examination of a death scene and subsequent collection of potential evidential material requires special skill, knowledge, aptitude, and attitude. The manner in which a death scene investigation is conducted may be a critical factor in determining the success of an investigation. The thorough examination of a death scene requires a disciplined and systematic approach to recording the various observations made and collection of potential evidential material. This must be combined with the analysis of various observations and the interrelationship of potential evidentiary material (Horswell, 2005a). If resources are sufficient and the circumstances of death so dictate, it is ideal for a forensic medicine expert to perform a scene investigation. This is particularly relevant if the body remains at the scene of death, and has not been transported to the hospital during attempts at resuscitation; however, a scene investigation can be vitally important and provide valuable information even if the body has been transported to the hospital. If a body is pronounced dead at the scene (as opposed to after transport to the hospital), many death investigation systems require a scene investigation. Others have various protocols as to which case types absolutely require a scene investigation (whether or not the body is present at the scene). Case types that should always have a scene investigation include all confirmed or suspected homicides, suicides, accidents, child deaths, traffic-related deaths, in-custody deaths, and workplace-related deaths (Prahlow, 2010). Death scene investigation may include a combination of the following types of incidents and examinations: • Accidental deaths, which include a multitude of circumstances, including misadventure • Suicidal deaths, which include a multitude of circumstances • Homicidal deaths, which include a multitude of circumstances • Sudden deaths, with or without suspicious circumstances • Difficult victim identification, which includes mummification and putrefaction • Disaster victim identification dealing with multiple casualties (Horswell, 2005a) This chapter will focus on the steps of death scene investigation and some real cases will be analyzed.

Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine

Opinion about the cause of death in unknown dead bodies is a test of ability of the Forensic expert and on many occasions yields little or no results. The reasons may be inadequate/no history, disinterested Investigating officers unwilling to properly work out the case, partial/complete decomposition/destruction/mutilation of the body, etc. In such cases, identification of the body as such poses problems; rest aside the opinion regarding the cause/manner of death. The present 3 year study was undertaken to find the cause of death and the pattern of causes of death in unknown dead bodies, as well as the efforts made to establish the identity in these cases. Unidentified bodies comprised 4% of the total 1577 cases brought for postmortem examination to the department. Maximum number of cases belonged to the age group 41-50 years, 35%. Majority of the opinions regarding the cause of death were given as cranio-cerebral damage, 30%, followed by "no definite opinion", 28%. Viscera for chemical analysis were sent in 24%, histopathology in 8% and for both chemical analysis and histopathology, in 27% cases.

Autopsy - What Do We Learn from Corpses? [Working Title], 2022

The Chapter is dedicated to the evolutionary role of autopsy, reporting the historical profiles, the state of the art, and prospects for future development of the main related techniques and methods of the ancillary disciplines (like Radiology), involved in historic synergy in the post-mortem assessment, together with the mother discipline Forensic Pathology. A task sustainable through the utilization of the so-called advanced molecular autopsy, a convergence of different skills jointly makes use of the high dimensionality of data generated by new technologies requiring a data mining approach governed by improved bioinformatics and computational biology tools. The evolution of the scientific research and the increased accuracy of the various disciplines will be able to weigh the value of evidence, placed at the disposal of the justice system as truth and proof.

Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2013

Medico legal autopsies are conducted in all cases of unnatural deaths and unidentified bodies. The case load of unidentified bodies in autopsy at Calcutta is quite alarming. The profile of such cases has rarely been studied in India. The present study attempts to find out the circumstances and fate of the unidentified bodies on whom medico legal autopsies were conducted. One fourth (614) of all the cases brought for autopsy were unidentified at the time of postmortem examination. Subsequently, 109 cases were identified and the rest remained unidentified. The peak age group of the deceased was 31-45 years and the majority of them were males. Identity of the victims was possible only within the first week after autopsy. The family members were the ones to identify the deceased and the male members of the family were the commonest one to identify the victims. Natural death (48.3%) due to disease and pathological condition was the leading cause of death whereas among the unnatural causes, drowning (28.4%) was the commonest cause. The present study revealed that the homeless street dwellers of the city formed a substantial portion of the unfortunate victims.

The Professional Medical Journal, 2018

Background: One of the most frustrating challenges faced by the medicolegal doctors/ forensic pathologists is the inability to determine the cause of death in casesof sudden / unexpected deaths of medicolegal nature even after detailed autopsy as well asHistopathological / Toxicological analysis. Objective: The study was aimed to find out thepercentage of negative autopsy against the total cases of medicolegal autopsies conductedduring the study period in Lakki Marwat KPK. Material and methods: The study was carried outin DHQ Lakki Marwat based upon five years autopsy data from 1st January 2013 to 31st December2017. All the medico legal autopsies were included in the study whereas; the cases of allegedcustodial deaths / police encounters were excluded. The cases where gross examination atinitial autopsy, histopathalogical examination & toxicological analysis failed to detect the causeof death were labeled as negative autopsies. Study design: Descriptive, Retrospective Study.Setting:...

Post Mortem Examination and Autopsy - Current Issues From Death to Laboratory Analysis, 2018

Forensic medicine explores the legal aspects of medicine, and medicolegal investigation of death is the most significant and crucial function of it. The nature of post mortem examinations are changing and the understanding of causes of death are evolving with the increase of knowledge, availability, and use of various analyses including genetic testing. Postmortem examination practice is turning into a more multidisciplinary approach for investigations, which are becoming more evidence based. Although there are numerous publications about forensic medicine and post mortem examination, this book aims to provide some basic information on post mortem examination and current developments in some important and special areas. It is considered that this book will be useful for forensic pathologists, clinicians, attorneys, law enforcement officers, and medical students.

Decomposition research is still in its infancy, but significant advances have occurred within forensic anthropology and other disciplines in the past several decades. Decomposition research in forensic anthropology has primarily focused on estimating the postmortem interval (PMI), detecting clandestine remains, and interpreting the context of the scene. Additionally, while much of the work has focused on forensic-related questions, an interdisciplinary focus on the ecology of decomposition has also advanced our knowledge. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the fundamental shifts that have occurred to advance decomposition research, such as the role of primary extrinsic factors, the application of decomposition research to the detection of clandestine remains and the estimation of the PMI in forensic anthropology casework. Future research in decomposition should focus on the collection of standardized data, the incorporation of ecological and evolutionary theory, more rigorous statistical analyses, examination of extended PMIs, greater emphasis on aquatic decomposition and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research, and the use of human cadavers to get forensically reliable data.

This paper proposes a new method for estimating time since death (TSD) in individuals found between 0 and 14 days subsequent to death indoors. The method is retrospective and involved (1) access to autopsy (and other) reports held by Australia's National Coronial Information System (NCIS); (2) selection of cases in the NCIS that included detailed descriptions of the degree of decomposition of various body organs as well as reliable information on TSD; (3) development of a systematic and quantitative way of scoring the degree of decomposition in body organs (the total body decomposition score, or TBS); (4) development of models to accurately estimate TSD from determinations of TBS; and (5) testing of these models. A series of Australian State and Territory as well as winter and summer season specific models for estimating TSD were generated. These models, particularly those based on TBS, are accurate to within several hours to half a day of death in most instances. While these models are regionally specific, the methodology can be used on any appropriate data set to generate TSD estimation equations.

Scientific reports, 2018

Postmortem studies, including the complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) and the minimally invasive autopsy (MIA), an innovative approach to post-mortem sampling and cause of death investigation, are commonly performed within 24 hours after death because the quality of the tissues deteriorates over time. This short timeframe may hamper the feasibility of the procedure. In this study, we compared the diagnostic performance of the two postmortem procedures when carried out earlier and later than 24 hours after death, as well as the impact of increasing postmortem intervals (PMIs) on the results of the microbiological tests in a series of 282 coupled MIA/CDA procedures performed at the Maputo Central Hospital in Mozambique between 2013 and 2015. 214 procedures were conducted within 24 hours of death (early autopsies), and 68 after 24 hours of death (late autopsies). No significant differences were observed in the number of non-conclusive diagnoses (2/214 [1%] vs. 1/68 [1%] p = 0.5645 for th...

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2020