CORONER DEATH SCENE INVESTIGATIONS

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CORONER DEATH SCENEINVESTIGATIONS
John E. Stanley D-abmdi Dane County Coroner
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TEAM EFFORT
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CORONERS OFFICE
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DEATH INVESTIGATIONCOMPONENTS

• Response
• Overview
• Pronouncement
• Identification
• Information Gathering
• Notification to Next-of-Kin
• Removal of body

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DEATH INVESTIGATIONCOMPONENTS

• Medical Examination
• Cause Manner of Death Ruling
• Documentation
• Testimony

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RESPONSE

• Dispatch Information
• Location
• correct address
• special instructions
• Type of incident
• natural
• other
• traffic crash
• personal attack
• fire/drowning/exposure/drugs

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RESPONSE

• Preplanning
• Mentally review protocols
• Consider special equipment/resource needs
• Anticipate incident specific problems
• Evaluate time factors
• Early notice to back-up personnel

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OVERVIEW

• Approaching the scene
• Is the scene safe?
• Environmental hazards
• gases
• chemicals
• biohazards
• cave-in
• wind
• thin ice
• falling ice

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OVERVIEW

• Man-made hazards
• moving traffic (rubber-necking)
• electrocution from energized lines or equipment
• structural collapse
• equipment still under power or load
• firearms
• explosion (drug labs, terrorists

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OVERVIEW

• People hazards
• domestic violence
• unknown assailant at scene
• revenge attacks (gang or family)
• suicide by police
• booby-traps

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OVERVIEW

• Brief with Law Enforcement/Fire Service
• communicate with officers in charge
• identify relatives at the scene
• determine police/fire concerns
• discuss preservation of evidence
• plan access to the body
• document initial observations

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PRONOUNCEMENT OF DEATH

• A legal determination having significant
  implications!

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PRONOUNCEMENT OF DEATH

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Visual examination of body surroundings
• Physical examination of body
• Stethoscope
• Tactile (pertaining to sense of touch)
• Olfactory (pertaining to sense of smell)
• Consider EMS interventions

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IDENTIFICATION

• Tentative?
• Photo ID comparison
• Visual ID by family, friends or others
• Personal property
• Professional body markings
• Jewelry
• Body piercing

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IDENTIFICATION

• Positive!
• Fingerprints
• Dental
• Medical Imaging
• DNA
• Surgical Implants
• pumps
• electronics
• ortho devices

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IDENTIFICATION

• Positive!
• Unique combinations of body markings and/or
  deformities.

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IDENTIFICATION

• ALL bodies should have an identification device
  attached.
• In multiple fatality incidents, a description of
  the body and location found should be attached at
  the time of recovery.

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INFORMATION GATHERING

• Who?
• What?
• Why?
• When?
• Where?
• How?

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INFORMATION GATHERING

• In addition to families, attorneys and insurance
  companies, many agencies may have an interest in
  our information.

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INFORMATION GATHERING

• Sources of Information
• Family and friends
• Local law enforcement
• Fire Service EMS
• Hospital clinic medical records
• Primary care physician and nurse
• Military service records
• Human resources public health records

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NOTIFICATION OFNEXT-OF-KIN

• Treat them as you would want to be treated
• Make notification in person when possible
• an opportunity to collect information
• health safety of the recipient may decline
• Others that may assist in notifications
• law enforcement
• clergy
• coroners medical examiners

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REMOVAL OF BODY

• Funeral Director from funeral home
• Contract Trade Service
• Coroner or Medical Examiner

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REMOVAL OF BODY

• Treat the body with dignity respect that you
  would want for your relative.
• Request additional help if necessary for lifting
  or carrying.
• Recognize and honor unique cultural rights and
  traditions
• Maintain chain-of-evidence in cases of
  unexplained, unusual or suspicious events.

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MEDICAL EXAMINATION

• Why order an autopsy?
• Determine the medical Cause of Death
• Identify characteristics of heredity
• Rule out medical causes of death
• Establish a legal degree of medical certainty
• Corroborate the Manner of Death ruling
• Collect preserve evidence

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MEDICAL EXAMINATION

• Plan ahead for what you think that you will need
  at the autopsy.
• Consider special needs
• Anthropology
• Odontology
• Sane Nurse
• Equipment

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MEDICAL EXAMINATION

• Discuss how and where you want to handle
  toxicology analysis.
• Discuss the necessary information and
  authorization for release of the body to a
  funeral home.
• Be prepared for cases where no anatomical cause
  for death is found at autopsy.

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MEDICAL EXAMINATION

• Law enforcement fire service briefed about the
  time and place of autopsy.
• Determine whether they will need evidence
  collection assistance from the crime lab.
• Coordinate eye, bone tissue donations with the
  pathologist.

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MANNER CAUSE OF DEATH RULING -

• The most reasonable determination based upon
  available information!
• Based on facts supported by your gathering of
  information.
• A legal determination that may undergo a
  challenge during court proceedings.
• Sometimes you are the bearer of an unwanted truth.

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DOCUMENTATION

• Currently there is no standardized death
  investigation report in the State of WI
• This is a written record that supports the Manner
  Cause of Death ruling.

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TESTIMONY

• You may be subpoenaed to testify in either a
  criminal or civil court case.
• Your testimony represents an unbiased
  investigation of the decedents demise.
• Be careful to keep your statements within the
  facts that you have established, and guard
  against unsupported speculation.

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RELATED ISSUES

• Legal Next-of-Kin
• Personal Property
• Medications
• Unclaimed/Unidentified Bodies
• Release of Information
• Personal Health

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You Know its the end, when....

• The CNN crew arrives at your office, or
• You are given the opportunity to be creative in
  meeting the challenges of a changing budget
  staffing environment!