Question 1 of 5
A husband contacts police at approximately 10:00 am to report that
his wife had passed away from natural causes. The wife was being treated for
terminal cancer and was under hospice care. The husband reported that he left
the residence at approximately 7:00 am to run some errands. When he left the
house, his wife was awake and watching the television in the living room. Upon
returning home, the husband found his wife dead in the reclining chair in front
of the television. The husband immediately called the police to notify them
that she had passed away. The husband explained that his wife was in the exact
same position as when he left her to start his errands.
Investigators arrive at the scene at note the following: The female is lying on
her back (supine) in the reclining chair. The chair is in the fully reclined
position. Covering the woman is a small blanket and she is dressed in a
nightgown. The woman is dressed appropriately for the temperature of the room,
which is 80 degree F. Next to the woman is a cup of coffee and a half eaten
pieces of toast. The television had been on, but was turned off when medical
personnel arrived.
An inspection of the woman reveals a post mortem body temperature of 80 degrees
F. The woman’s eyes show evidence of tache noire and cloudiness. There is a
considerable amount of post mortem rigidity in the woman’s joints, mainly in
her arms and legs. The woman is frail and thin in appearance. On the tops of
her thighs, her stomach, the left side of her face, and her chest are evidence
of post mortem hypostasis. She also had tardieu spots on the tops of her feet.
The woman’s right hand shows evidence of a cadveric spasm and she is holding a
gold chain with a cross.
What is wrong with this scene?
|
Question 2 of 5 |
20.0 Points |
In Arizona, a husband
and wife are killed by their deranged son during the beginning of the summer of
2010. They are killed in the same house at approximately the same time (a few
minutes apart). The son attempted to conceal the bodies by hiding them in various
parts of the house. The mother’s body was hidden in the ventilated attic space,
while the father’s body was located under a workbench in the basement. The
bodies were found approximately 4 days later, by a neighbor.
When investigators arrive at the scene, they are baffled that that both bodies
are in completely different stages of decomposition. The husband is in a more
advanced stage of putrefaction while the wife has the beginning stages of
mummification.
Explain in detail how this is medically possible.
|
Question 3 of 5 |
20.0 Points |
Explain the procedures
for photographing the deceased during an autopsy. What are some of the
challenges involved? What type of equipment should be used?
Define each of the following terms and explain the significance of
each during autopsy. Provide an example of a cause of death where you would
expect to see each of these medical phenomenon.
a. Tache Noire
b. Tardieu Spots
c. Petechiae
d. Mongolian spots
e. Battle signs
|
Question 5 of 5 |
20.0 Points |
Two semi-conscious
peoples are removed from a Ford sedan after a collision with another car. The
EMT’s who responded are not sure who was in the driver’s seat. The car was not
equipped with airbags. There was a spider web fracture of the driver’s side
windshield and a shattered passenger side window.
Occupant A had lacerations of the forehead, a broken femur, and a fracture of
the right thumb.
Occupant B had a fracture to the right ankle, dicing injured of the right face,
and pelvic fracture.
Who was the driver and who was the passenger and why?
