What is an Autopsy?
Why is a Forensic Autopsy preformed?
Benefits of Autopsy
Discover cause of death for:
Insurance claims
 Criminal cases
Medical advancement
 Family peace of mind
 Genetic disease or deformity
Cause of Death v. Manner of Death
• Accidental
• Undetermined
At the crime scene
Photographs taken or body in original, found state
 Hands wrapped in plastic bags for later evidence collection
 Body temperature, lividity, and decomposition level measured
 Body placed in bag or wrapped in evidence sheet for transport.

Physical Examination
External Examination
Steps of an external examination.
1. Photographs, X-rays.
•
Signs of injury or mistreatment
•
Signs of illness, disease, or
abnormalities
2. Physical evidence collected off body.
3. Samples of hair, nails, etc. are collected.
4. Identifying marks (i.e. scars, tattoos)
5. Undressed, examined for wounds.
• Lacerations, abrasions, bruises.
6. Measured, weighed, cleaned.
Physical Examination
External Examination
Livor Mortis
Defined as ‘Colour of Death’.
 Coloration of the skin.
Algor Mortis
Defined as ‘Coolness of Death’.
 Temperature of body.
If within 12 hours:
Time of death (hrs) = 37oC – current body temp/0.78
Over 12 hours:
Time of death = 27.64- current temp/0.39 + 12
• Thinner people cool faster then fat
people.
Physical Examination
Pallor Mortis
Defined as ‘Paleness of Death’.
 Tone of the body.
Rigor Mortis
Defined as ‘Stiffness of Death’.
 Flexibility of the body.
• Shows up 2 hours after death
• Peaks 12 hours after death.
• Takes 12-24 hours for entire rigor
mortis effect to take place.
• The eyelids are affected first, the jaw,
face, trunk, arms, legs.
• Ends after 24-36 hours.
Explaining rigor mortis
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct8
AbZn_A8A
Physical Examination
External Examination
Approximate times for algor and rigor mortis in temperate regions
Body temperature
Body stiffness
Time since death
warm
not stiff
dead not more than
three hours
warm
stiff
dead 3 to 8 hours
cold
stiff
dead 8 to 36 hours
cold
not stiff
dead more than 36
hours
SOURCE: Stærkeby, M. "What Happens after Death?" In the University of Oslo Forensic
Entomology [web site]. Available from http://folk.uio.no/mostarke/forens_ent/afterdeath.shtml
The time frame for all stages is greatly dependent on surrounding
conditions such as temperature and humidity.
Physical Examination
Types of Wounds (Trauma)
1. Lacerations
2. Incised Wound
3. Puncture
4. Abrasion
5. Contusion
6. Gunshot
Lacerations
Abrasions
Contusions
Colour changes a bruise goes
through can give rough estimate
of time of injury
• Dark blue/purple (1-18 hours)
•Blue/brown (~1 to 2days)
•Green (~ 2 to 3 days)
•Yellow (~3 to 7 days)
Assumes person is healthy.
Gunshot Wounds
Things for pathologist to learn:
• type of firearm
• distance of gun to victim
• entrance vs exit wounds
• track of projectile
Starring of a contact
wound – barrel
touching the skin
Stippling – powder burns on the skin when the
gun is inches to a few feet from the victim

Opening the Chest
Y shaped cut
The chest cavity is cut open using shears.
Skin & underlying tissue (muscle, fat, etc.) are then separated

The ribs are sawed away


Physical Examination
Internal Examination
Removal of Organs
 Examples of disease that may produce changes readily recognizable in
the organs include atherosclerosis, cirrhosis of the liver, and coronary
artery disease in the heart
Two methods for organ removal:
• Rokitansky procedure: all organs
removed at once
• Virchow procedure: each organ
removed separately and
immediately examined
Rokitansky Method
Physical Examination
All removed organs are now weighed and examined for unusual markings
or signs.
Vitreous Humor
• The levels of vitreous humor in the
corpses eye tells us how long the
victim been dead.
Physical Examination
Internal Examination
Brain Examination
 An incision is made from a point behind one
ear, over the top of the head, to a point behind
the opposite ear.
 The scalp is pulled away from the skull,
creating two flaps.



The skull is then cut with a vibrating electric saw
The brain is then cut from the spinal cord
The spinal cord may also be taken by removing the anterior or
posterior portion of the spinal column.
Two methods of cutting the skull cap
• Brain is so soft it must
be placed in 10%
formaldehyde solution
for 1-2 weeks before an
in depth examination
Physical Examination
Internal Examination
Closure

Performance of an autopsy does not interfere with
an open casket funeral service