Forensics Death Unit
Insect evidence is the most accurate method to estimate a postmortem interval if the victim has been dead for less than 24 hours.
False
Mitochondrial DNA analysis of skeletal remains can be used to establish individual identity.
False
The number of bones in the body increases from the time of birth to adulthood.
False
Usually, children will lose body heat more slowly than adults
False
A well-trained forensic entomologist can always determine PMI using insect evidence only.
False; They need other factors
Which represents the normal sequence of decomposition?
Fresh, bloated, active decay, advanced decay, and dry decay
What is one reason why insect evidence at crime scenes is often not collected?
Investigators are often not properly trained to find and collect insects.
Which is the most reliable bone to determine the sex of a skeleton?
Pelvic Bone
Which method of estimating postmortem intervals is least reliable if a person has been dead less than 12 hours?
Potassium levels in the eye
What connects a muscle to a bone?
Tendon
Which is true regarding spiracle slits of a blowfly larva?
They are useful in estimating the age of a blowfly larva
A person who was running away from someone before they died will go into rigor merits sooner than a person that was sitting quietly
True
Adult flies are attracted to to dead bodies because of the odors
True
An autopsy is performed after an unexplained death to help explain the cause and manner of death.
True
Bones that break when someone is still alive tend to break unevenly, whereas bones broken long after death show clean breaks.
True
Cloudiness of the eyes occurs usually after 2 hours if the eyelids are open
True
Once skin slippage begins, it is impossible to obtain fingerprints
True
When estimating a postmortem interval, it's important to factor into the interval the fact flies & beetles don't lay eggs at night.
True
wasps arrive after the blowflies because they feed on blowfly larvae and eggs
True
A forensic anthropologist noted that a set of skeletal remains exhibited the following traits: wide subpubic angle, a sacrum curved outward, no visible growth plates, and porous bones. Which description is consistent with these characteristics?
female over 30 with osteoporosis
Which ethnic background tends to have a round nasal cavity, rectangular eye orbits, and some degree of prognathism (extension of the maxilla beyond the face)?
African
The body of a person known to have eaten Mexican food at 12 noon was found dead at 11pm. The medical examiner found no food in the stomach, but did find Mexican food in the first half of the small intestine. Which of the following times would be the best estimate of a postmortem interval?
Between 4pm and 11pm
Marbling occurs as a result of?
Chemical reactions of sulfur and hemoglobin
Which can issue death certificates of cannot perform autopsies?
Coroner
Which is the correct sequence of developmental stages for blowflies?
Egg, Larva, Pupa, Adult
Adipocere is a waxy material formed from the breakdown of fat during decomposition under very dry conditions.
False
Because bones can heal, a bone fracture is no longer evident after 10 years.
False
Body heat loss speeds up after 12 hours following death
False
Based on the following characteristics of a set of skeletal remains, which estimate best represents the age of the deceased? femur head fused to shaft clavicle and sternum closed lambdoidal suture closed coronal suture closed
at least 50 years old