CMRJ329

150 WORDS REPLY AGREE DISAGREE

The first image it appears the tie around her neck was moved.  There seems to be a ligature mark slightly below where the rope is placed at now in the image which could have been to the initial placement of the rope.  There are broken blood vessel near that area that and indicate that the rope was forcefully moved up the victims neck to the last position it was in before it was tied.  The rope also appears to be tied into a knot at the back of the victims head.  Additionally, the ligature pattern is below the victim’s thyroid cartilage and the mark on her neck appears to be horizontal.  According to Dudley those types of mark indicates strangulation more so then a hanging due to the location of the ligature on the victim (2012).  The dark circle near her jaw bone has similar characteristics to a near or closer contact gunshot wound.  There is a powder soot, over lining, seared black skin around the wound (Adcock & Chancellor, 2016).  Due to this characteristics the gunshot was not a long range gunshot wound, because there is not stippling therefore it was not to the victim’s skin (Adcock & Chancellor, 2016).  The abrasions located on the victim’s neck could be a good indicator of fingernail marks from trying to fight the strangulation (Dudley, 2017).  The second image in regards to the whether it depicts fingernail marks or petechial, the answer is petechial hemorrhages.  These are “tiny pinpoint red mark that is an important sign of asphyxia caused by some external means of obstructing the airways” (Gale, 2019).  The third image appear to be similar to a burn like when you touch a curling iron for too long.  The skin appears to be raised in a blister and I am not entirely sure what could have caused that other than frequently rubbing or a hot or steamy object.  The fourth image with the loosely tied wrist knot, I believe that the child was bound to something because of the excesses slack after the knot.  The last image with the two dots, in my opinion it appears they are from a Taser.  They do not appear to be from a cigarette due to the size.

References:

Adcock, J. M., & Chancellor, A. S. (2016). Death investigations. Burlington, MA: Jones & barlett Learning.

Dudley, M. (2017). Forensic medicolegal injury and death investigation . Boca Raton, Florida ;: CRC Press.

Gale, T. (2019, March 17). Petechial Hemorrhage. Retrieved March 18, 2019, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/petechial-hemorrhage

Spitz, Werner U. et al. Spitz and Fisher’s Medicolegal Investigation of Death : Guidelines for the Application of Pathology to Crime Investigation . 4th ed. Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas, 2006. Print. 2012?