...Psychological Autopsies Jessica Foster December 19, 2012 Kaplan University As a police psychologist, you are part of an investigation into the homicide of a high profile community member, the mayor. The information you received from the department is that the victim was found with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was last seen with another notable figure at a nearby restaurant. You learn that before becoming the mayor, the deceased was the chief of your department and was very close to many administrators and officers. Psychologists play many different roles in a law enforcement agency. A psychologist can perform as a consultant for the agency or conduct fitness for duty evaluations. In this paper though, we will be looking at the role the psychologist will play in a murder investigation. The psychological autopsies are becoming popular for psychologists. This paper will go over what an autopsy is, how to do one, what you will put in a report, and the psychological issues that the close members will go through during this time. A psychologist may participate in the debriefing process in an investigation (Kurke & Scrivner, 2007). They will help interview witnesses and can conduct the psychological autopsy (Kurke & Scrivner, 2007). An officer will experience situation that could lead to issues that include the inability to cope or develop post traumatic stress disorder (Kurke & Scrivner, 2007). An officer may witness the death of...
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...Laura Lynn Johnson Saleha Ashfaq Women Who Kill April 25, 2011 Divorce is not only a legal breakup of a marriage, but also the end of an emotional and intimate connection between two people. However, some do not accept their spouse’s unfaithfulness in such a courtly fashion. Laura Lynn Johnson was accused of murdering her attorney husband who wanted nothing but a simple divorce. But Laura did not want to let go of him so easily. Lloyd Johnson was rushed to the hospital on September 20, 2010; he was thought to be suffering from a severe heart attack. However, a heart attack did not explain what the police found on the scene of murder. Lloyd was confirmed dead on September 22, 2010. On September 20, help arrived to the Johnsons’ home after getting a call about a man who had trouble breathing and rectal bleeding. The Farmington Hills fire lieutenants recall walking upstairs through a clutter-filled-home and finding Lloyd Johnson sitting on the toilet, naked and unresponsive. They immediately noticed the bleeding wound on Lloyd’s lower back and assumed it to be the cause of his current critical condition. Lloyd was an obese, weighing over 430 pounds. It took more than five emergency workers to bring him down the stairs and into the ambulance. Initially, he was believed to be experiencing a heart attack. Lloyd Johnson, a respected attorney, a father of five, and a long time diabetic was well known around the community as both successful and arrogant. Lloyd Johnson referred...
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...WHAT IS POSTMARTEM? A post-martem also known as an autopsy this is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present. It is usually performed by a specialized medical doctor called a Pathalogist. MEANING OF POST-MORTEM. Post-mortem examination means an examination of a dead body which carries under the state law for the protection of the citizens of the state and for the identification and prosecution of the guilty. All general assessment in seen of occurrence is written in deceased report. Postamartem is not a conclusive evidence but it is corroborative type of evidence which is helpful in trial. PURPOSE The aims of death investigation are to answer the following questions: 1. Who died? (identification of the deceased) IDENTIFICATION OF DECEDENT The body of the deceased should be identified by the plice constable brought it or if necessary by the relatives in presence of the meical officer who should make a note of the names and addresses of such persons. 2. Where? (place of death) Place of death is also mentioned in the postmortem report which has the evidentiary value. A crime scene visit is worth undertaking, when scene exists. The medical officer should proceed with the examination only after the scene has been documented by photograph, diagram, or sketch, and the search for physical and trace evidence is concluded. 3...
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...The Conventional Autopsy still has an Important Role in Modern Medicine RACHNA BAJAJ INTRODUCTION Human dissection has historically been carried out in search for humours, worms, miasmas and divine spells to explain what caused illness and death. However, as ‘scientific’ thinking advanced, there was a desire to understand disease based on the empirical evidence obtained from post-mortem examinations.1 This gave birth to one of the most important gold standards of diagnosis, a great tool for medical audit and probably the best teaching method of medicine – the autopsy. The words ‘autopsy’, ‘necropsy’ and ‘post-mortem examination’ are synonymous with each other and refer to the investigation of the human body involving an external examination followed by the dissections of the head, thorax and the abdomen. The word autopsy literally means ‘to see for oneself’. Autopsy rates in the United Kingdom (UK) currently stand at 21.9%, out of which only 0.4% are not requested by a coroner and the most common request for an autopsy occurs in cases of unexpected deaths where the cause is not apparent. Autopsies are also carried out for determination of manner of death, evaluation of ante-mortem and post-mortem diagnosis, epidemiological purposes, survey outbreaks, medical audit, research, teaching, forensic purposes and to enlighten/reassure families or inform then of hereditary diseases. Despite the well-recognised importance of autopsies in twenty-first century medicine...
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...What Happened to “King Tut?” There is no true explanation or clear reasoning on how King Tutankhamen died suddenly, approximately at the age of 18. Theorists have yet to come to any clear explanation on how he suddenly died. Two theories that make the most sense to me are that he died from some sort of sickness, such as malaria combined with a degenerative bone disease, which some studies suggest, or a broken leg, which later lead to infection, that has been discovered and recent autopsies. The theory revolving around malaria has been one of the the lasting reasoning’s on how he died, which was accelerated by a broken leg, recent studies suggest. Several mummies buried along with the remains of King Tut have been examined and 4 out of the 11, including King Tuts remains, showed strands of malaria. In fact, 4 of the 11 mummies, including King Tut’s, had genetic traces of malaria tropica, the most severe form of the infection. He was also plagued with avascular bone necrosis, a condition in which diminished blood supply to the bone leads to serious weakening or destruction of tissue. These two findings have deemed theorists to believe that these findings are a likely reason to his death. In recent studies, Ashraf Selim, a radiologist at Kasr Eleini Teaching Hospital at Cairo University in Egypt, along with a team of scientist set up a noninvasive CT scanner in Luxor to perform a full-body scan on the king's remains, obtaining about 1,900 digital cross-sectional images. The...
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...Forensic Autopsy Name Institution Course Date Deaths resulting from blunt force trauma are the most common cases in forensic autopsy. However, it is imperative to note that some factors contribute to the actual death of the victim, leading to a contradiction of whether the cause of death was sharp force or blunt trauma related. For instance, a patient hospitalised after having had a car accident and died three weeks after hospitalization, having caught pneumonia would likely give the results that the patient died out of pneumonia. However, such is not the case. In the forensic autopsy, the cause of death should be categorised as blunt force trauma, categorically belonging to the cause “accident” (Prahlow, 2010). Therefore, because of the contradictions that occur in such autopsies, it is paramount to take note of the differences exhibited by blunt force trauma wounds and sharp force trauma injuries. Injuries caused by blunt force have the following characteristics. Firstly, blunt force inflicted wounds have abrasions on the skin epithelium. This arises as the result of the sliding force between the surface and the blunt objects, pressure or compression (Prahlow, 2010). Secondly, such injuries might show patterned abrasions, the phenomenon in which the wounds pattern is transferred to the intermediary between the skin and the blunt object, such as clothes. These forms of wounds can be used to identify weapons as the sources of blunt trauma injuries...
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...Danielle Johnson 06/28/2014 Writting Assignment 2 Thomas Edison State College AOJ-280-OL009 Case Study/ The Murder of Carolyn Casey Ynobe Matthews was Executed January 6, 2004 at 6:18 p.m in Texas by lethal injection for the 2000 rape and murder of a College student named Carolyn Casey. He was also charged with arson as a result of the fire he started at the crime scene. DNA, a post mortem examination, and fibers left at the crime scene all played a crucial role in solving this case. Though not acquainted, Ynobe Matthews and Carolyn Casey attended the same party that had been thrown by a Resident of the Apartment Complex they resided in. Carolyn Casey stated to a friend she was feeling unwell and left the party. In the early morning hours of May 28, Fire Fighters responded to a call at the Dou Chene Apartment Complex in College Station. Upon entering into the Unit they found the Victim. She deceased and slumped over the bed in a kneeling position, in addition, she was nude from the waist down. There where numerous items gathered from inside house that had been intentionally set ablaze after being placed between her legs. This was quickly identified as an attempt by the perpetrator to destroy evidence at the scene of a homicide. Homicide Detectives began interviewing everyone that had attended the party and asking them for DNA samples. Eventually, Ynobe Matthews was asked to had over certain articles of clothing he wore during the party. He was also asked...
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...A forensic pathologist (which is known to most people as a medical examiner), is heavily involved in the criminal justice system and medical system. The medical examiner's main job is to conduct an autopsy on the victim of any unnatural form of death. Their primary task in potential criminal cases is to find the cause of death and confirm if it was homicidal, suicidal, or an accident. The cause of death is what police investigators use as their lead to track down potential suspects. Some work in local parts of government, hospitals, medicals schools, and in private practice which would contract their service to other government agencies. They perform autopsies, write out autopsy reports, look over victim's medical records, and interview the victim's next of kin. They also have to be trained in the legal system and to be able to testify in court cases involving death or injury (“Forensic Pathology,” 2009). Most forensic pathologist start as a resident, then after residency they awarded the title medical examiner. They can continue working to deputy chief medical examiner and the top position chief medical examiner. It takes between 13 to 15 years of education to become a forensic pathologist. This includes your bachelor degree and medical course requirements, followed by four years of medical school, and four years practicing forensic pathology as a resident. Once all of this is completed, you are required to accomplish a one year fellowship. The last and final step to be a certified...
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...upsetting things. I realized that not everything is positive when it comes to choosing your career. When actually seeing, physically what Forensic Pathology really is, you’ll be shocked about it. Since reading about it and actually doing the job, it’s so different it never crossed my mind that it would be so much work. There are many steps to becoming a Forensic Pathologist. The education for it takes many years, but yet it is possible. A forensic pathologist (which is known to most people as a medical examiner), is heavily involved in the criminal justice system and medical system. The medical examiner's main job is to conduct an autopsy on the victim of any unnatural form of death. Their primary task in potential criminal cases is to find the cause of death and confirm if it was homicidal, suicidal, or an accident. They perform autopsies, write out autopsy reports, look over victim's medical records, and interview the victim's next of kin. They also have to be trained in the legal system and to be able to testify in court cases involving death or injury (“Forensic Pathology,” 2009). Most forensic pathologist start as a resident, then after residency they awarded the title medical examiner. They can continue working to deputy chief medical examiner and the top position chief medical examiner. It takes between 13 to 15 years of education to become a forensic pathologist. This includes your bachelor degree and medical course requirements, followed by four years of medical school...
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...Case Study Internal Final Case Briefing Introduction to Case As a medico-legal investigator I have been assigned the task to prepare and finalize the internal final case briefing for the Medical Examiner (ME). This final case briefing report will be attached to the case report and the autopsy report. The information obtained in this report will help determine the cause of death. This case involves the victim who has been identified as 23 year old Sharon Jane Miller (DOB 10/07/1987). The victim was found by her sister Valerie Edith Anderson (DOB 08/22/1985) on June 17, 2011. A 911 call was made via the sister and recorded at 1138 Evidence leans towards the murderer being ex-boyfriend Todd Nathan Hughes (DOB 02/14/1980. Discussion At 11:38 AM a phone call was made and recorded to 911 by sister, Valerie Anderson when she discovered her sister, Sharon Miller deceased at her apartment located at 16B East Locust Street, Virtual, MD. According to sister as well as corresponding text messages (made with consent) made between the victim and the sister they were going to attend lunch together for the day. When arrival to her home she discovered her sisters body and proceeded to call the authorities. Further information was given by sister, Valerie Anderson that the deceased had disclosed that she had broken up with her boyfriend Todd Hughes whom she had been dating for four years. It was made known that Todd was an abusive boyfriend and had an extensive criminal record...
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...FAKE ENCOUNTERS IN INDIA Aastha Maheswari 1) Distinguish between fake encounters and genuine encounters? Ans: A fake encounter is where a person has been killed in cold blood, and not in self-defence, Whereas a genuine encounter is that in which a person has been killed in self-defence. If somebody is firing at you, and the only way to stop him from killing or grievously injuring you is to shoot back, in that case you’re a part of a genuine encounter. Whereas a fake encounter is when you catch hold of somebody and kill him in cold blood. There is absoutely no threat to you. The Central and State governments generally interpret the word, encounter, to mean genuine encounters, with fake encounters being an exception rather than the rule. Those fighting for civil liberties, however, say that the dividing line between genuine and fake encounters is rather tenuous and argued that most of the cases considered by the police as genuine are indeed fake. 2) Does the police have the right to kill the suspects? Why do they resort to take such extreme measures? Ans: The Indian law recognizes the right of a citizen to private defence , and this same right is available to the policemen too. Thus, If the police is firing in an attempt to arrest a person accused of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment of life by the court orders, in that case the encounter cannot be termed as illegal or fake. However, if a death is caused in an ecounter that cannot be justified on the ground of...
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...of justice due to compromised medical evidence being presented during trial. Although there are legal tools available to regulate the types of evidence admissible in court as well as the “experts” allowed to present said evidence [such as Daubert hearings], these tools are only partially effective because forensic pathology is a discipline that grows and develops over time. The accepted view in pathology [or any field of science, for that matter] is always subject to change—by new discoveries or revision of theories, which can cause flawed evidence if outdated knowledge and/or methods are used during processing. Another issue is human error during evidence presentation, may it be caused by misinterpretation of findings, unsatisfactory autopsies, bias, or aforementioned outdated knowledge and methods. There are...
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...Danielle Johnson 06/28/2014 Writting Assignment 2 Thomas Edison State College AOJ-280-OL009 Case Study/ The Murder of Carolyn Casey Ynobe Matthews was Executed January 6, 2004 at 6:18 p.m in Texas by lethal injection for the 2000 rape and murder of a College student named Carolyn Casey. He was also charged with arson as a result of the fire he started at the crime scene. DNA, a post mortem examination, and fibers left at the crime scene all played a crucial role in solving this case. Though not aquainted, Ynobe Matthews and Carolyn Casey attended the same party that had been thrown by a Resident of the Apartment Complex they resided in. Carolyn Casey stated to a friend she was feeling unwell and left the party. In the early morning hours of May 28, Fire Fighters responded to a call at the Dou Chene Apartment Complex in College Station. Upon entering into the Unit they found the Victim. She deceased and slumped over the bed in a kneeling position, in additon, she was nude from the waist down. There where numerous items gathered from inside house that had been intentionally set abalze after being placed between her legs. This was quickly identified as an attempt by the perpetrator to destroy evidence at the scene of a homicide. Homicide Detectives began interviewing everyone that had attended the party and asking them for DNA samples. Eventually, Ynobe Matthews was asked to had over certain articles of clothing he wore during the party. He was also asked to give...
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...Executive Memo To: IT Manager, Networking Manager, Administrative Assistant From: USER, Training Project Manager Date: August 10, 2013 Re: 2-Day Training – Post Mortem Review Objective This memo details the benefits and drawbacks of a postmortem review for the training class project. All included within this memo should partake in the postmortem review meeting to discuss what the team’s hopes were during the project timeline and to discover any changes needed for future training class projects. Benefits of Postmortem Review The benefits of this review are to list the goals and outcome of the project, the actual budget versus the final costs incurred, and any stakeholder participation issues. It is also helpful to document what worked and what did not throughout the project timeline. Areas to review are morale, communications, and any cost components such as hardware, software, office space, people, time, and budget. This should also include project scope, requirements, conflict management, and deadlines. Drawbacks of Postmortem Review The drawbacks of this review is that it would be too late to correct any issues or errors that occurred during this project. Considering that the training class project was on a smaller scale, there were very few milestones to help gauge the success of the entire project. Meeting There will be a meeting the following business day after the training class ends; August 5, 2013 at 9:00am in the main conference room within the...
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...On Saturday, September 24, 2016 at approximately 1746 hours, the Pasadena Police Department (PPD) received a call of a medical assistance call at 70 W. Mountain Ave. The comments of the call stated the Pasadena Fire Department, (PFD), were also dispatched for a 67 year old female not breathing. Upon arrival at the scene I spoke to Firefighter Johnson with PFD. Johnson said PFD received a call of a female not breathing. When PFD arrived, Johnson said he observed the deceased, laying on her back on the couch in the living room. Johnson said that due to the condition of the Victim, emergency lifesaving procedures were not used. He said that the deceased had decomposed to the point that she is no longer recognizable. Johnson pronounced “Jane Doe” deceased at 1751 hours on 9/24/16. Johnson advised me that there were two dogs inside of the residence when they entered. He said the dogs had begun to eat the remains of the deceased, and had completely removed an arm from the elbow down. Johnson said the remains of the arm were located near the rear door of the residence. Johnson advised me that the daughter of the home owner was in the rear yard. I spoke with Witness-1, Keisha Owens, and Witness-2, Destiny McMillan. Keisha said that she is the daughter of Glenda Lorrain Owens, and Glenda is the only resident that resides at 70 W. Mountain Ave. Keisha said that she had not spoken with her Mother, Glenda, since September 6th or 7th. She said that her and her friend, Destiny...
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