Immediate Release: Reviewing and Comprehending Autopsy Reports

July 5, 2012 - PRLog -- In order to understand the importance of the autopsy report, and how to interpret it, the reader should understand how all the other factors influence the report and why the reader cannot rely on the autopsy report alone. ‘Autopsy’ is from the Greek ‘autopsia’, meaning ‘to see with one’s own eyes’. This article dissects the autopsy report and supporting death investigation.

This comprehensive peer-reviewed white paper is available for purchase at www.ReviewingAutopsyReports.com.  Complimentary copies and permission to publish for investigative associations are available.  Inquiries can be made to AFI-LLC for consultation, training, and commentary on this and related areas of subject matter expertise.

For simplicity, all references will be to medical examiners and not on the difference between the medical examiner and coroner systems, or a hospital autopsy and forensic autopsy. For our purposes, the focus will be on the forensic autopsy conducted by a board certified forensic pathologist and autopsy technician. In addition, there are exceptions to every protocol, and jurisdictional policies will differ. Two important things to consider are: 1. the medical examiner’s office is an independent, often law enforcement based, agency which is supposed to be neutral as to their findings; they conduct separate investigations; and 2. these investigations are often concurrent and cooperative investigations between the medical examiner’s office and the law enforcement agency.