Solution; Week 4 midterm

Week 4 midterm

1. A husband contacts police at approximately 10:00 am to report that his wife had passed away from natural causes. The wife was being treated for terminal cancer and was under hospice care. The husband reported that he left the residence at approximately 7:00 am to run some errands. When he left the house, his wife was awake and watching the television in the living room. Upon returning home, the husband found his wife dead in the reclining chair in front of the television. The husband immediately called the police to notify them that she had passed away. The husband explained that his wife was in the exact same position as when he left her to start his errands.

Investigators arrive at the scene at note the following: The female is lying on her back (supine) in the reclining chair. The chair is in the fully reclined position. Covering the woman is a small blanket and she is dressed in a nightgown. The woman is dressed appropriately for the temperature of the room, which is 80 degree F. Next to the woman is a cup of coffee and a half eaten pieces of toast. The television had been on, but was turned off when medical personnel arrived.

An inspection of the woman reveals a post mortem body temperature of 80 degrees F. The woman’s eyes show evidence of tache noire and cloudiness. There is a considerable amount of post mortem rigidity in the woman’s joints, mainly in her arms and legs. The woman is frail and thin in appearance. On the tops of her thighs, her stomach, the left side of her face, and her chest are evidence of post mortem hypostasis. She also had tardieu spots on the tops of her feet. The woman’s right hand shows evidence of a cadveric spasm and she is holding a gold chain with a cross.

What is wrong with this scene?

2, In Arizona, a husband and wife are killed by their deranged son during the beginning of the summer of 2010. They are killed in the same house at approximately the same time (a few minutes apart). The son attempted to conceal the bodies by hiding them in various parts of the house. The mother’s body was hidden in the ventilated attic space, while the father’s body was located under a workbench in the basement. The bodies were found approximately 4 days later, by a neighbor.

When investigators arrive at the scene, they are baffled that that both bodies are in completely different stages of decomposition. The husband is in a more advanced stage of putrefaction while the wife has the beginning stages of mummification.

Explain in detail how this is medically possible.

3. Explain the procedures for photographing the deceased during an autopsy. What are some of the challenges involved? What type of equipment should be used?

4. Define each of the following terms and explain the significance of each during autopsy. Provide an example of a cause of death where you would expect to see each of these medical phenomenon.

a. Tache Noire
b. Tardieu Spots
c. Petechiae
d. Mongolian spots
e. Battle signs