Students will investigate various aspects of death and dying.
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Brain death
Clinical death
Accidental death
Suicidal death
Homicidal death
Natural death
Autopsy
Algor Mortis
Rigor Mortis
Incisions
Lacerations
Abrasions
Punctures
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Penetration
Gunshot
Assault
Burns
Taphonomy
Putrification
Black Putrification
Dry decay
Butyric fermentation
 A. Brain Death
 1. Irreversible end of all brain activity due to total
death to the cerebral neurons following loss of blood
flow and oxygenation.
 2. The brain is no longer capable of sustaining the rest of
the body’s systems.
 B. Clinical Death
 1. Cessation of blood circulation (cardiac arrest) and loss
of breathing.
 2. CPR may reverse clinical death.
 Accidental, Suicidal, Homicidal, Natural
 A. Accidental death: Death that happens by chance
and was not planned or expected.
 B. Suicidal death: The intentional taking of one’s own
life.
 C. Homicidal death: The act of a human killing
another human being. Often called murder.
 D. Natural death: Death that occurs from physiological
or biological functions. This is the cause of the
majority of deaths.
 An autopsy is done by a coroner or pathologist.
 It reveals the cause of death, approximate time of
death and weapons that were used in the death.
 Permission from the next of kin must be obtained
when the law does not require an autopsy to be done.
 An autopsy procedure:
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/playe
r/science/health-human-body-sci/human-body/realcsi-sci.html
 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/media
/autopsy/index.html
 Steps of an autopsy procedure
 1. External examination performed
 Photographed from head to toe
 All physical characteristics documented
 Body measured, weighed and x-rayed.
 Fingerprints obtained.
 2. Y-shaped incision made
 Deep cut made from the front of each shoulder to the bottom
end of the sternum; then to the pubic bone.
 Skin peeled back with the top flap placed over the face.
 Steps of an autopsy procedure
 3. Internal examination
 Chest cavity opened with an electric saw.
 Ribs are sawn off and the anterior chest wall is cut away to
expose the organs that are underneath.
 4. Internal organs removed and weighed
 5. Brain is removed
 Skull is cut with an electric saw to create a cap.
 Then a transverse incision is made through the brainstem so
the brain can be removed.
 Steps of an autopsy procedure
 6. Intestines are drained
 7. Stomach is opened and drained
 8. Samples are taken from the tissues and organs.
 9. Major blood vessels are cut open and examined.
 10. Internal organs returned to the body and the head
and chest are sewn up.
 Follow the steps of an autopsy procedure as detailed in
your booklet. Do not skip any steps. Read each
direction thoroughly.
 Visual examination
 Organ examination
 Wound/trauma marks analyzed
 Toxicology reports (drugs, alcohol, etc – blood work)
 Histology reports (slides of tissues – cancer, etc)
 Cause of Death vs Manner vs Mechanism
 What was the body’s physical reason for death (cause).
 What caused the physical reason for death (manner)
 Jon Benet Ramsey medical report
 http://crimeshots.com/AutopsyReport.html
 A. Mechanical
 B. Thermal
 C. Chemical
 D. Electrical
 Open Wounds
 Incisions
 Lacerations
 Abrasions
 Punctures
 Penetration
 Gunshot
 Assault
 Burns
 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/visibleproofs/galleries/media
/ragsdale/index.html - gunshot study
 Tool mark identification powerpoint
 Closed Wounds
 Contusions
 Hematomas
 Crushing
 Chronic
 Acute
 The cooling rate of the body after death
 As soon as the body dies there is no longer metabolic
functions that keep the body at 98.6 degrees F.
 The body temperature will begin to even out with the
surrounding environment.
 Consideration to the type of clothes, the surface area
to body mass and surrounding conditions must be
evaluated.
 Most accurate temperature to determine time of death
should be taken within 1-36 hours of death.
 The body will cool at a rate of 1-1.5 degrees F per hour
until it reaches the environmental temperature.
 Postmortem lividity
 The pooling of the blood in the body after the heart
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stops.
Indicated the position of the body at the time of
death.
Begins within a half of an hour following death.
Most evident at approximately 12 hours following
death.
After 12 hours the discoloration will not move no
matter how the body is disturbed.
 Rigidity of the skeletal muscles after death.
 After death the muscles relax and release ATP as the
muscle breaks down making the muscles become
rigid.
 Begins in the smaller muscles of the jaw, neck and
face.
 Noticeable stiffness will occur within 3 hours of death.
 Rigor mortis is affected by the environmental factors
 Taphonomy is science that studies decomposition over
time.
Stages of decomposition
 1. Fresh stage
 a. Occurs in the first few days , 0-3 days
 b. Autolysis begins- destruction of cells and organs
 c. Algor mortis occurs
 d. Attracts insects that begin to lay eggs
 2. Putrefaction stage (days 4-10)
 a. Follows the fresh stage until about day 10 post mortem
 b. Odor, color change and bloating occur to the body
 c. A green color begins in the abdomen and spreads
throughout the body because the bacteria within the
body is breaking down.
 d. Skin in fragile and the body hairs fall off
 Black Putrefaction days 10-20
 Butyric Fermentation stage
 a. Body odor is lost
 b. Body begins to dry out and becomes mummified
 C. Days 20-50
 http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Butyric-
fermentation-20-to-50-days
 5. Dry Decay stage
 a. Slow and longest stage of decomposition 50-375 days
 b. Body becomes skeletonized: deterioration of the
skeletal remains
 http://www.oceanlab.abdn.ac.uk/staff/mac/macstaph.
php
 Only certain insects will feed and lay eggs on a dead
corpses. Entomologist study the state of development
of insects living on a corpse and count back the days to
determine time of death.
 Most insects follow a sequential life cycle of growth
from a fertilized egg to a mature adult. This occurs in
four stages.
Adult Greenbottle Fly
Adult Hairy Rove Beetle
Adult green blow fly
Adult Hide Beetle
Adult Red-tailed Flesh Fly
Adult Bluebottle fly
Adult female blow flies arrive within
minutes to lay eggs on a cadaver. Each
deposits about 250 eggs in the natural
openings of the body and open wounds. The
eggs hatch into first-stage maggots within
24 hours. These feed and then molt into
second-stage maggots, which feed for
several hours, and then molt into third-stage
maggots. Masses of third-stage maggots may
produce heat, which can raise the
temperature around them more than 10° C.
After more feeding, the third-stage maggots
move away from the body and
metamorphize into adult flies.
 Egg: Deposited by female insect within minutes
following death in natural openings and open wounds.
Contact: Pam Mitchell
info@BTERFoundation.org
949-278-9756
BioTherapeutics, Education & Research
Foundation
 Larvae: Newly hatched wingless and wormlike form of
the insect. Immature stage before metamorphosis
occurs. For example a caterpillar, grub or maggot.
 Pupa: Non-feeding stage between larvae and adult.
During this stage metamorphosis occurs and the
insect hides itself in a cocoon or similar structure.
 Adult: After all changes have occurred and the insect is
fully mature.
 Temperature of the environment and the season.
 Availability of oxygen and air movement.
 Surrounding condition and surface the body is resting on.
 Humidity
 Rainfall
 Clothing the person dressing in or wrapped in.
 Type of burial.
 Access of scavengers and insects to the body.
 Person body size and weight
 Cause of death.
 Any traumatic injuries or wounds
 Living tissue slide
 Necrotic tissue slide
 In Utah, autopsies are performed under these
circumstances:
 Deaths by violence, gunshot, suicide, or accident ,
except highway accidents. (Utah is unique in the
nation in excluding any death resulting or appearing to
result from a highway accident from the jurisdiction of
the medical examiner or coroner).
 2. Sudden death while in apparent health. (This is
defined as any instantaneous death without obvious
natural cause, death during or following an
unexplained syncope or coma, or death during an
acute or unexplained rapidly fatal illness).
 3. Unattended deaths. (Unattended means that the
person has not been seen by a physician within 30 days
of their death. Persons who die while under treatment
by prayer or spiritual means in accordance with the
tenets and practices of a well-recognized church or
religious denomination are not considered to be
unattended).
 4. Deaths under suspicious or unusual
circumstances
 5. Deaths resulting from poisoning or overdose of
drugs.
 6. Deaths resulting from disease, injury, toxic
effect or unusual exertion incurred within the
scope of the decedent's employment. ( However,
highway accident deaths while on the job are
excluded).
 7. The Medical Examiner may also assist in the
identification of a deceased individual. In cases
where injury or decomposition make visual
identification or fingerprints impossible, the use of
dental records may be required.
 8. Deaths resulting from diseases which may
constitute a threat to the public health.
 9. Deaths due to the Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome.
 10. Deaths resulting while the deceased was in
prison, jail, in police custody, in the state
hospital, or in a detention or medical facility
operated for the treatment of the mentally ill or
emotionally disturbed or delinquent persons.
 11. Deaths associated with diagnostic and
therapeutic procedures.
Section 26-4- 4 (2) states the medical examiner shall have the authority to conduct
investigations, perform any necessary examinations, and retain any samples required for
the determination of the cause and manner of death or for scientific purposes. The
medical examiner may also request any records relating to the medical care and
treatment of an individual whose death is under investigation. Failure to provide records
is a Class B misdemeanor.
 Section 26-4-16 of the law mandates that in any case where the identity of the decedent is
known and the legal next-of-kin have requested release of the body, the body must be
released within 24 hours after it has arrived at the medical examiner facility. An extension
of this time limit may be ordered by a district court.
 The records of the medical examiner are considered confidential and may only be
released to the legal next-of kin, an authorized investigative agency and/or a physician
who has treated the decedent. Any other requests for information must either be
authorized by the legal next of kin or by court order. Subpoenas are not considered a
valid request for information under the state's confidentiality rules.
 Next of kin may obtain a copy of the Medical Examiner's report by submitting a signed
letter identifying the deceased and their relationship. The signature on the letter must be
notarized. There is no charge for the first copy of a report sent to next of kin. Subsequent
copies require payment of a $25 fee.
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