M4 Discussion: Arson Investigation

Exploration of Module 4

Death Investigations

Death investigations are one of the more complicated and serious crime scenes a CSI will have to document.  When arriving at the scene, responsibilities include rendering aid, securing the area and establishing the perimeter, preserving evidence, especially fragile evidence and collecting and documenting evidence to use in court.   Preserving evidence is paramount to a death investigation and it is important to recognize the different types of evidence that you will find at the scene.  The detective will control the investigation of the scene and the medical examiner has jurisdiction over the body.  Most large counties have a medical examiner that has a degree in medicine with advanced training for autopsies.  Some smaller counties still rely on a coroner who is an elected official and can determine cause/manner of death in simple cases but often rely on a medical examiner to perform the autopsy if the death requires further investigation.  

PBS’s Frontline provides a detailed interactive map on its Post Mortem: Death Investigation in America page.

Manner of Death

There are five manners of death:

1. Homicide-The taking of a life by another

2. Suicide-The taking of one’s own life

3. Accidental-An accident resulting in death

4. Natural-A death caused by disease

5. Undetermined-The cause is unknown at the time

Homicide can be both felonious (against the law) and accidental.  For example, if you are going the speed limit and not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and you hit and kill a child who runs into the middle of the road the manner of death will be homicide but you would not be held accountable by the criminal justice system.  Another example of a homicide that does not result in charges would be self-defense.  Homicide that is felonious is one that is against the law.  Each state has differing levels of murder.

Cause of Death

The cause of death is the reason the person died.

Manner of Death	Cause of Death
Homicide	Gunshot wound, stabbing
Suicide	Hanging
Accidental	drowning
Natural	Heart Attack

In our scenario, the autopsy is done on the victim and the manner of death is homicide with the cause of death due to multiple stab wounds and a gunshot wound which caused the victim to bleed to death.  A search warrant is obtained for all of the suspects’ cellular devices and cars which are located on campus. One of the items they are looking for is a sample of the handwriting of each individual to compare to the note at the scene.