Term
| Sexual Homicide Considerations |
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Definition
| condition of victim or scene; lack of clothing, exposure of sexual organs, injured sexual organs, positioned provocatively, evidence of vaginal/anal/oral sex; evidence of sexual activity |
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Term
| Organized Offender Characteristics |
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Definition
| above average intelligence, crime well planned, socially adept, understands criminality of act fully |
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Term
| Disorganized Offender Characteristics |
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Definition
| loner, not married, socially inadequate, acts impulsively, commits act in own geographic area, depersonalizes victim, overkill - destroys victim after dead |
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Term
| Steps During Scene Investigation |
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Definition
| 1. identify decedent; 2. determine location of initial assault; 3. determine how victim selected/targeted; 4. establish activities of victim; 5. determine point of entry; 6. check bed if used for semen, urine, saliva stains |
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Term
| Processing Body at ME Office |
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Definition
| collect foreign material on body that might be lost in transportation; analyze wounds & injuries that may be indicative of forced entry; check for evidence found in hands of victim; if body found faced down, maintain position when transport |
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Term
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Definition
| reconstruct scene; determine activities before death; full background on victim; develop any suspicious activities in neighborhood of scene; check previous police responses to scene & neighborhood |
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Term
| Serial Offender Considerations |
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Definition
| have limited suspect pool? circumstances lead to believe suspect not known to victim? similar offenses in surrounding jurisdictions? any survivors? |
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Term
| Cycle of Violence for Domestic Violence |
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Definition
| incident/explosion --> remorse --> "honeymoon" phase --> tension building; more times go through, faster it is to go through in future, frequency greater, intensity of violence greater |
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Term
| Relationship Between ME & Detective (at Autopsy) |
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Definition
| work together to determine manner of death; info about scene; case/background info; collect evidence; give theories; request additional tests |
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Term
| How Time of Death Determined |
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Definition
| 1. only accurate method is to have been there when it happened - no single accurate marker of; 2. establish range of death; 3. algor mortis; 4. livor mortis; 5. rigor mortis; 6. Tardieu's spots |
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Term
| Interdependent Systems of Life |
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Definition
| Central Nervous System shuts down; 1. respiratory system; 2. breathing stops; 3. circulation of blood stops |
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Term
| Scene Markers Used to Establish Time of Death/Post Mortem Interval |
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Definition
| allow some window of time of death, take into consideration time found dead & last person to see alive & degree of rigor; ex) newspapers, phone call log, food eaten, place of death, environmental factors that might have changed with time |
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Term
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Definition
| cooling down after death; cool about a degree & a half an hour in standard room temp, metabolism of tissue generates heat, cools by radiation, convection, & direct transfer |
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Term
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Definition
| blood settles to dependent parts of body immediately after death when cardiac activity stops; skin generally purplish-red/dark blue; does not develop where there is pressure from clothing or objects |
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Term
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Definition
| stiffening & contracting of muscles immediately after death, involuntary & voluntary muscle relaxation; effects smaller muscles faster but does not necessarily start in head & work way down body; all muscles affected at similar rate; heat accelerates process, cold decelerates |
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Term
| Key Points of Livor Mortis |
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Definition
| mechanism: settling, onset: immediate, manifested: 2-4 hours, disappears: variable |
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Term
| Key Points of Rigor Mortis |
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Definition
| mechanism: physical change, onset: immediate, manifested: 6-24 hours, disappears:36 hours, variable, will not reform once broken |
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Term
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Definition
| stiffness in motion of joint |
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Term
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Definition
| difficulty requiring force to move joint |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| when blood accumulates in large areas, these areas become engorged which causes capularies in small areas to rapture & leave circular or round areas of the skin to hemorrhage; normal process see in lividity; usually 4-5mm or larger in diameter |
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Term
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Definition
| Post mortem tissue change in which body decays |
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Term
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Definition
| dissolution of cells & tissues by enzymes normally present in them; digestive enzymes within body cells break down carbs & proteins |
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Term
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Definition
| disintegration of the tissues brought about by bacterial action; stage 1: blue-green discoloration of skin of abs, 24-36 hours; stage 2: marbling; stage 3: bloating of body, 36-48 hours; stage 4: loosening of hair & nails, skin slippage/shedding on hands & feet, 4-7 days |
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Term
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Definition
| removal of soft tissue facilitated by flies, beetles, animals, & humidity |
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Term
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Definition
| drying of body/parts producing leather-like changes |
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Term
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Definition
| waxy, greyish-white substance/coating caused by hydration of body |
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Term
| Factors Influencing Decomposition |
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Definition
| heat increases process, cold decreases process, freezing/thawing, bugs, micro-organisms, body size, cause of death |
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Term
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Definition
| atypical sexual activities that involve: nonhuman objects, nonconsenting adults, suffering or humiliation of self or partner, or children |
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Term
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Definition
| analysis of sample which establishes either that the sample is definitely not a certain substance or that the sample probably is the substance; diagnosis identifies the likely condition patient has |
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Term
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Definition
| shows that sample is not blood or that the sample is probable blood |
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Term
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Definition
| required to confirm analysis, diagnosis confirms presence of the condition |
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