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