The US Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of The National Academies to conduct a workshop that would examine the interface of the medicolegal death investigation system and the criminal justice system. NIJ was particularly interested in a workshop in which speakers would highlight not only the status and needs of the medicolegal death investigation system as currently administered by medical examiners and coroners but also its potential to meet emerging issues facing contemporary society in America. Additionally, the workshop was to highlight priority areas for a potential IOM study on this topic. To achieve those goals, IOM constituted the Committee for the Workshop on the Medicolegal Death Investigation System, which developed a workshop that focused on the role of the medical examiner and coroner death investigation system and its promise for improving both the criminal justice system and the public health and health care systems, and their ability to respond to terrorist threats and events. Six panels were formed to highlight different aspects of the medicolegal death investigation system, including ways to improve it and expand it beyond its traditional response and meet growing demands and challenges. This report summarizes the Workshop presentations and discussions that followed them.

The purpose of this publication is to consolidate the training material utilized in the Managing Death Investigation Course and Death Investigation Field Schools conducted by the Behavioural Science Unit, FBI Academy,

Essentials of Medicolegal Death Investigation uses a unique approach by combining medical issues, injury patterns, and investigative procedures to provide the reader with the basic fundamentals for a death investigation. The text introduces the reader to death investigation, common causes of death, and very specific types of death, including blunt-force injuries, gunshot wounds, and toxicology deaths. Each section includes case studies with written and visual descriptions. Written by a well-known and experienced medicolegal death investigator, the book fills a void in medicolegal literature for both students and professionals alike. - Provides a valuable guide to the interpretation of medical death investigation for practitioners and students - Covers the following circumstances in death investigations: asphyxiation, blunt-force injuries, sharp-force injuries, gunshot wounds, toxicology deaths, and natural causes - Includes case studies with written and visual descriptions and discussion, as well as up-to-date literature review

"Death Scene Investigation: Procedural Guide is the answer to a long recognized dilemma: how to have every death investigated by an experienced death investigator." — Tom Bevel, author of Practical Crime Scene Analysis and Reconstruction and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Third Edition Those tasked with investigating death scenes come from a variety of backgrounds and varying levels of experience. Death Scene Investigation: Procedural Guide gives the less experienced investigator the procedures for almost any death scene imaginable while providing the seasoned investigator a ready reference for deaths occurring even under the most unusual of circumstances. It details the precise steps that need to be taken when processing and analyzing a death scene to ensure vital evidence is not lost and "red flags" are not missed. Using a bulleted format for quick and easy access, the book provides hands-on, concise instruction in a style friendly to a range of professionals. Topics discussed in this practical manual include: Initial response and scene evaluation. This section includes a death investigation decision tree to lead investigators to a preliminary cause of death. The section is broken down into natural, accidental, suicidal, and homicidal deaths. It also explores the role of the medical examiner and autopsy protocol. Recovery of human remains from open field, aquatic, and buried sites. This section also discusses estimating the time of death. Wound dynamics and mechanisms of injury. Manners of death include asphyxiation; sharp force, blunt force, and chopping injuries; handgun, rifle, and shotgun wounds; and explosive, thermal, and electrical injuries. Special death scene investigations. Discussions include child and infant death, sex-related death, and death scenes with multiple victims. Death scene management. This section covers documentation, sketching, photography and videography, special observations, and search procedures. Death scene evidence processing. Topics include bloodstain patterns, shooting scenes, and entomological, biological, trace, friction ridge, and impression evidence. An appendix contains precautions for handling bloodborne pathogens and 15 innovative worksheets for field use are available for download. Death scene responders who master the techniques in this volume will expedite solving the circumstances of the death and the closing of the case. Michael S. Maloney was interviewed in Volume 13 of Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology.

Those tasked with investigating crime scenes come from a variety of backgrounds and varying levels of experience. Crime Scene Investigation Procedural Guide gives the novice investigator the procedures for almost any crime scene imaginable while providing the seasoned pro a ready reference for crimes occurring even under the most unusual of circums

The sudden or unexplained death of an individual has a profound impact on families and friends of the deceased and places significant responsibility on the agencies tasked with determining the cause of death. Responsibility for conducting death investigations may rest with pathologists, medical examiners, or coroners, and there is little training available in the best procedures for handling these crucial and sensitive tasks. These guidelines were developed to help fill this gap. By adhering to these standards, death investigators can arrive at the truth about a suspicious death, and families and friends can know what happened to their loved one.

A Practical Guide to the Medicolegal Investigation of Death this guidebook written by a veteran death investigator specifically for field investigators and students. The book is unique because of the field investigators focus and approach, and is not distracted by graphic images or an overabundance of case studies, scientific, or medical jargon. The book addresses the most common death scene situations faced by investigators but is brief enough to fit into every death investigator's gear bag. With helpful Rules of Thumb for quick and practical reference, and detailed explanations, the book is an investigator's tool. Specific topics include historical foundations, legal issues, identification methods of human remains, time of death estimation, and wound analysis. Specific areas addressed are fire deaths, asphyxial deaths, drowning deaths, electrical deaths, and motor vehicle accidents

The numerous case studies and crime scene photographs included in the book are actual cases and serve to illustrate an example or reason for the methods described in the text. The guiding theme of this handbook is that teamwork in the investigation of various aspects and causes of death is essential if viable and effective solutions are to take place."--BOOK JACKET.