SheaToner

CrimeScene#2
ConductinganAutopsy
Colleen
10/21/2014

Autopsieswerefirstidentifiedinhospital,doctorsintrainingwouldexaminedead
bodiesinhospitalstoseekabetterunderstandingofthebodilyfunctions.Fromthere,
autopsieshavegrownintofiguringoutwhatoccurredatthetimethatleadtodeath.Autopsies
couldidentifydeathfromsickness,accident,suicide,homicideandsometimesunknown.
Hospitalsstillusethissystembuttheyareconveyedmoresoincrimesceneinvestigations.

AnAutopsyisamedicalexaminationofacorpsetofindoutwhatkilledit(diseaseor
injury).Withthediscoveredremainstherewasafoundgunshotentrancewoundinthebackof
thehead,gunshotexitwoundinthefrontoftheskull.Whenconductingtheexamination,dont
touchormovethebodyanymorethanneeded.Whenremovingthebodyfromthecrime
scene,coverhandsandfeetwithpaperbagstoprotectanyevidence,wrapupthebodyin
sheetthenplaceintheautopsybag.

PreliminaryStageofPostMortemiswhenthephotographertakessufficientpicturesof
thecrimescenesuchasclothedorunclothed,takingpicturesofunusualsignssuchasscars,
tattoosandinjuries.Oncepicturesaretaken,examineforanytraceofevidence.Towardsthe
endoftheexaminationusingthealternatelightsourceandsearchnakedeye.Usea
microscopetoexaminefingernails,toenailsandotherquestionableareas.Duringthiscrime
sceneinvestigationtherewasbloodandhairfoundunderneaththefingernails.

Finalisinjurieswhetheroldornew,theyshouldbeexaminedandinjuriesshouldbe
photographed.Oncephotographed,adiagramofthehumansbodyfrontandback,willbe
displayedandmarkedupoflocationswoundsarefound.ForthisexaminationofNathan
Herrontherewasrecentwoundslocatedonthefrontandthebackofthehead.Whenwound
isfoundmeasurementsaremadesuchassize,depthandnotesofentryandexitifare
provided.Thesizeofentrancethroughthebackoftheheadwas2mmanddepthwas
through.Theexitsizewasmeasured7.4cmanddepthwasthrough.Theinjurywas
suspectedtobeagunshotwoundtohead,butcannotbedetermined.Theliteralbiological
eventthatcausedthedeathcannotbedetermined.Mannerofdeathisahomicide.Andtime
ofdeaththattookplacewasthreeyearsago.

SourceUsed:

http://www.propublica.org/article/withoutautopsieshospitalsburytheirmistakes
"WithoutAutopsies,HospitalsBuryTheirMistakes."TopStoriesRSS.N.p.,n.d.Web.22Oct.
2014.