Forensic Study Guide Ch. 4

T or F: Petechiae are more common in hangings than strangulation deaths

False

T or F: The medical examiner is an elected official and is not required to possess a medical degree

False

T or F: if it appears that a victim did not shoot himself or herself or anyone else, the victims hands should not be swabbed

False

T or F: the outward appearance of the injuries will always match the injuries sustained inside the body

False

Wounds on a victims forearm may be____ wounds

Defensive

T or F: a lack of any defense wounds can lead a pathologist to believe that the victim was either unconscious or somehow tied up during the assault

True

T or F: the manner of death is defined as that which initiates the series of events ending in death

True

what kind of forensic expert would most likely be asked to help identify human remains in each of the following conditions a. a body that has been decomposing for a day or two b. fragmentary remains of a few arm bones and part of a jaw c. a skeleton that is missing its skull

a. forensic entomologist b. forensic odontologist c. forensic anthropologist

identify a reasonable manner of death for each of the following situations a.a contact wound to the back of the head b. an elevated carboxyhemoglobin blood level in a fire victim c. a fractured hyoid bone d. death by overdose of a first time user of alcohol e. a gunshot would to the chest from a distance of 3 feet f. sudden death of a young chronic user of cocaine

a. homicide b. accidental c. homicide d. accidental e. homicide f. natural

the process of the bodies continually decreasing in temp. after death until it reaches the environmental temp. is known as______

algor mortis

after death, two decomposition processes take place: ______ and _____

autolysis and putrefaction

carbon monoxide levels and the presence of soot can be used to determine whether the individual was ______ at the time of the fire

breathing

the autopsy consists of an ______ and an ______ examination

external; internal

T or F: Carbon monoxide will continue to build up in the body after death

false

T or F: a pathologist can often give an exact time of death

false

T or F: high levels of carbon monoxide must be present for a victim to become disoriented and lose consciousness

false

T or F: the ideal location to take a blood sample is from the heart

false

T or F: the liver can contain partially digested or dissolved pills

false

the field of ______ takes advantage of the durable nature of bones over a long period of time to examine and identify human skeletal remains through a maltitude of individual characteristics

forensic anthropology

the study of insects and their relation to a criminal investigation, known as ______, is commonly used to estimate the time of death when the circumstances surrounding the crime are unknown

forensic entomology

in cooperation with the medical examiner or coroner, evidence retrieved from a deceased victim and sent to the crime lab should include which items

gender, ancestry, age, height

the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen is known as

hemoglobin

the process of the blood settling in parts of the body closest to the ground after death is known as____

livor mortis

a (n) in its broadest definition is simply the examination of a body after death

manner of death

the female bone structures differs from the male structure within the _____ area because of a womans child bearing capabilities

pelvis

victims of hangings often show signs of ____ on the eyelids, cheeks, and forehead

petechiae

by determining the oldest stage of fly found on the body and taking environmental factors into consideration, entomologists can approximate _____ interval

postmortem

_____ is the redistribution of drugs after death

postmortem redistribution

levels of ______ in the ocular fluid can help indicate the time of death

potassium

rigor mortis, livor mortis, and algor mortis are all used to help determine time of death. however, each method has its limitations. for each method, describe at least one condition that would render that method unsuitable or inaccurate for determining time of death

rigor mortis would be an unsuitable method if the victim had been dead longer than 36 hours because the condition disappears after this time. Livor mortis ceases approximately 16 hours after death, so it would be of limited value in estimating the time of death after this period elapsed. algol mortis would not be an accurate method for estimating the time of death if the body was store in a particularly hot or cold environment because extreme temp. would affect the rate at which the body lost heat.

T or F: Death at a fire scene is primarily cause by the extremely toxic gas carbon monoxide

true

T or F: Typically the hyoid bone + thyroid cartilage are not fractured in hanging cases

true

T or F: a definite ID of remains cannot be made through the analysis of the decedent's DNA profile fingerprints, or medical records

true

T or F: a site where human remains are found must be treated as a crime scene, and the site, and surrounding area should be secured, searched, and carefully processed

true

T or F: another method to determine PMI is by observing the schedule of arrival of different insects species on the body

true

T or F: because drug abuse is so common, the forensic pathologist will routinely test for the presence of drugs in nearly all investigations

true

T or F: different lividity patterns on a body may indicate that the body was moved after death but before liver mortis had fully fixed

true

T or F: for gunshot victims, the cause of death can be listed as a gunshot wound

true

T or F: general testing for poison is not a routine procedure carried out by the pathologist

true

T or F: there are two types of autopsies: a forensic/medico-legal autopsy and a clinical/ hospital autopsy

true

T or F:x- ray examinations are most commonly performed in gunshot wound cases and stab wound cases

true

the discharge from a firearm will produce characteristics marking on the skin known as

wound tracks

A _____ force injury can abrace + crush tissue

Blunt

The primary objective of the autopsy is to determine the _____

Cause of death

The titles of ______ and _______ are often used interchangeably, but there are significant differences in their job descriptions

Coroner + medicak examiner

Asphyxia encompasses a variety of conditions that involve interference with the intake of _____

Oxygen

Although both a coroner and a forensic pathologist are charged with investigating a suspicious death, only the ___is trained to perform an autopsy

Pathologist

petechiae are cause by the escaping of blood into the tissue as a result of _____ bursting

capillaries

a body that displays a cherry-red discoloration often leads a pathologist to suspect poisoning by ____

carbon monoxide

pulmonary ____, or fluid accumulation in the lungs is frequently found in victims of chronic cocaine and amphetamine abuse

edema