CSI: Redlands
a.k.a CHEM 40
Instructor:
Candy Glendening
Order of Business
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Roll, waitlist
Who am I?
Syllabus
Who are you?
Intro to Forensic Science
Cause & Manner of Death
Fields of Forensic Study
What is Forensic Science?
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Forensic comes from the Latin word forensis:
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Modern definition of forensic as:
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public; to the forum or public discussion; argumentative,
rhetorical, belonging to debate or discussion.
belonging to, used in or suitable to courts of judicature, or
to public discussion or debate.
Forensic science is science used in public, in a
court or in the justice system.
Any science, used for the purposes of the law, is a
forensic science.
From the AAFS: American Academy of Forensic Scientists
A death investigation must:
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Identify the deceased
Examine the deceased
Evaluate the death scene
Determine cause, manner, mechanism
of death.
Cause of Death
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Injury, disease or combination of the
two, responsible for initiating the
sequence of disturbances, brief or
prolonged, that proved to be fatal.
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Gunshot wound to the head
Stab wound to the chest
Myocardial infarct (heart attack)
Cancer
Manner of Death
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Circumstance in which the cause of
death arose.
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Natural
Accident
Homicide
Suicide
Undetermined
Manner of Death: Natural
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Termination of life due to a disease
process
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Cancer
High blood pressure
Allergic reaction
Manner of Death: Accidental
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Termination of life by an act that one
would/could reasonably expect to
survive.
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Motor Vehicular Accident (MVA)
Gunshot wound
Fall
Manner of Death: Homicide
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Termination of life by an intentional
action or intentional omission of
another individual
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Gunshot wound
Stab
Poison
Manner of Death: Suicide
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Intentional termination of one's own
life.
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Gunshot wound
Stab
Poison
Manner of Death:
Undetermined
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A death in which the cause and
manner cannot be determined.
SIDS, a special case:
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No Cause
Manner - Natural
Mechanism of Death
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A physiological or biochemical
abnormality that caused the death.
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Excessive blood loss
Cerebral edema
Coronary artery disease
Story of Cause and Manner
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A 25 year old white male jumped to
his death from the roof of a 10 story
apartment building.
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Cause: massive blunt trauma
Manner: suicide
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NO!
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The young man did not realize that painters working
on the building had left a safety net in place at the
4th floor. The fall alone would not have been fatal.
Examination of the body revealed no massive
trauma from a fall, but rather a shotgun wound to
the head.
He was shot by a tenant on the 6th floor as he fell
past the window.
Cause: GSW to head
Manner: homicide
NO!
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The 6th floor tenant was having an
argument with his wife.
During such arguments he would habitually
point an empty shotgun at her and click the
trigger.
Their son had been angry at his mother for
not giving him money to purchase a
motorcycle, so knowing his father's habit,
he loaded the shotgun in anticipation of the
next argument.
Summary
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The 26 year old white male died when
the shotgun which HE had loaded
weeks earlier was accidentally fired by
HIS father, missing HIS mother and
striking HIM in the head as he passed
by the open 6th floor window.
So, what is the Cause and Manner of
Death?
Summary cont…
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Cause: GSW to head
Manner: accident
The Case of the Dead Guy at
the ol' Tavern
Ol’ Tavern Death
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61 year old male brought into the
emergency room unresponsive and clinically
"shocked out."
Blood pressure unobtainable, heart sounds
irregular and distant, respirations grasping,
pupils dilated and fixed
Pronounced dead 15-20 minutes after
arrival
Ol' Tavern Death
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This man was found lying on his back in a
parking lot behind a tavern. Gambling, drug
traffic, and prostitution were common place
there.
Witness observed a car suddenly speed out
of the parking lot, run a red light, and leave
the scene at a high rate of speed.
Homicide detectives noted traumatic injuries
and considered the man to have been
beaten, robbed, and dumped from an auto.
Autopsy Report
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Fractured right ribs 2 - 11 Fractured left rib 12
Right hemothorax (100 ml)
Contusions and lacerations of the right lung
Extensive laceration of liver
Hemoperitoneum
Lacerations on right kidney
Natural disease
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Mild arteriosclerotic heart disease
Moderate pulmonary emphysema
Moderate to advanced fatty metamorphosis of livnr
Cause of Death:
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Trauma to the Chest and Abdomen
Questions
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Was this man beaten to death?
What kind of information would you
need to determine Manner of Death?
Injury Pattern
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NOT suggestive of a beating
Severe blunt crushing trauma with a major
force vector directed obliquely with anterior
to posterior force (fracturing ribs and
lacerating internal organs)
No injuries to hands or knuckles (no fight)
Abrasions on skin was from pressure not
sliding abrasion (not thrown from auto)
No bumper impact (not struck by auto)
Toxicology
Toxicology Report
Ethanol
Methanol Isopropanol
(drink)
(rubbing)
(wood)
Blood
411
mg/dl*
45.5
mg/dl*
3.5
mg/dl*
milligrams per deciliter (1/10th liter);
100 mg/dl is 0.1%
CA DUI = 0.08%
Lifestyle/Additional Findings
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Tavern owner stated victim was at his tavern
that night
Characterized the deceased as one of the
nightly drunks
Victim was an alcoholic who would drink
anything - beer, wine, whiskey, rubbing
alcohol.
He entered the bar late in the evening
inebriated, purchased a few drinks, bummed
several additional drinks, and staggered out
about 1230 am.
Owner of the auto stated:
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He and a friend had been drinking heavily
and left the tavern at about 1:00 am.
Walked to their auto from the front, backed
up a short distance and left the lot.
During the backing-up process, he felt a
bump and thought he had backed into
another auto.
Left the parking lot hurriedly. His friend
confirmed this.
Manner of Death
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Accident
Why Accident?
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Driver admitted drinking heavily and driving
under the influence, but reckless homicide
charges could not be filed since:
No blood alcohol determinations were
obtained (driver located days later)
Could be argued that the victim's extreme
intoxicated state was probably a greater
factor in placing him in a precarious position
to be killed than the driver's alleged
intoxicated condition.
Who is needed at a crime
scene?
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Many people
Come from many different fields
Each has their own area of expertise
1st Assignment
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10 points
Due tomorrow, (Thursday) @ noon
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Submit by using Document Drop Function of
Blackboard
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Bonus points if finished by 9 AM!
Print out page when submission is complete to
help iron out any problems later on
E-mail me with problems
I’ll also be in my office from 10-noon on
Thursday
Forensic Careers Assignment
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Each Student will be assigned a different
type of forensic career
Research this career (the textbook) will be
very handy
Create a simple 2-3 slide powerpoint
presentation on this career:
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Quick description of the career
Education needed for the career
Example of evidence from a crime that particular
scientist would process
Forensic Careers Assignment
continued
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I will merge all the slides
Each Student will present their slides
to the rest of the class
This presentation is also worth 10
points!