Catching the criminal through

postmortem examination

Anil Aggrawal
Professor Forensic Medicine
Maulana Azad Medical College
New Delhi-110002
For a downloadable copy of this presentation, please
visit

www.geradts.com/~anil
Catching the criminal through
postmortem examination
 How can this be done?
 One common way is to determine the
time of death of a person, who has
been found dead in a forlorn place,
say in the outskirts of a city.
When did this person die?
This is generally the basic scenario
in these cases
Left city
3rd Dec –
10 am
any one could be the
Suspect A killer if the time of
death turns out to be
during this time
window

Suspect B
Arrived in City
2nd Dec – 10 pm

2 Dec 3 Dec 4 Dec

12 midnight 12 midnight 12 midnight

2 am
Methods of Estimating the time of
death
 Rectal Temperature
 Taking the rectal temperature -1

Taking temperature by traditional means – a rectal thermometer

 Taking the rectal temperature -2

Taking temperature by a digital thermometer

Calculating time of death from
cooling of the body - 1
 The body was found at 2 am on 4
December.

 Suppose the rectal temperature of

the body was 91.00 F.

 The body was about 7.50 F cooler than

it should have been (normal body
temperature 98.40 F)
Calculating time of death from
cooling of the body - 2
 Since it is winter time, the rate of
cooling should be around 1.50 F
 7.50 F/ 1.50 F = 5 hours
 The person should have been dead
for 5 hours
 The body was found at 2 am. The
person should have died at around
9 pm on 3rd December
 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -1
Probable
times of
appearance
of livor mortis

•half to one
hour – begins
to appear
•2 hours –
seen in
blotches
•4 hours –
spreads as a
wide sheet
•8 hours –
gets fixed

Post mortem staining appears on the most dependent parts of the body.
 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -2

another case of post mortem staining.

 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -3

Yet another case of post mortem staining.

 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -4

Post mortem staining on the front. Above the sternum small postmortem
hemorrhages are visible. These are usually known as vibices.
 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -5

Post mortem staining on the face of a 3-month-old male infant found dead in
prone position.
 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -6

Case of hanging. Fixed hypostasis was present in the chin, above the waist of
the trousers, in the hands and, most obviously, in the legs.
 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -7

Hypostasis on the soles of the feet of a 68-year-old man after suicidal hanging
with several hours' suspension.
 Hypostasis or Post-mortem
Staining -8

Hypostasis in the breasts providing clear evidence that the body was hanging
after death.
 Post mortem rigidity or rigor
mortis-1
Probable times of appearance of
rigor mortis (although these are
subject to high variation)
•Eye lids, jaws – 2 hours
•Jaw – 3 hours
•Upper limbs – 6 hours
•Lower limbs – 9 hours
•Fingers and toes – 12 hours

Sometimes the rigor can be so strong that the body can be supported between
two supports as shown.
 Post mortem rigidity or rigor
mortis-2

Another case where the body could be supported between two supports due to extremely strong rigor
mortis. This phenomenon has even been used by horror story writers to good effect.
 Post mortem rigidity or rigor
mortis-3

Rigor mortis can even be used to reconstruct an event. This body shows a very peculiar position of left
arm, which appears floating in mid air. Actually it is in rigor mortis. The body was moved after rigor
mortis set in.
 Cadaveric Spasm

A case of suicidal stabbing with cadaveric spasm. It CANNOT be simulated after death.
 Cadaveric Spasm

Cadaveric spasm in 43 year old male with razor in right hand.

Determining the weapon of offence
 Frequently the police apprehends a suspect
after the murder, and the weapon of
offence is recovered from him. The suspect
claims he never used that weapon.

 A proper post-mortem examination can tell

us which weapon was used for homicide.
This is another way, a postmortem
examination can help catch the criminal.
 Was it a blunt or a sharp weapon?

Note the straight, clean, nonabraded edges of the cut (a) compared to the abraded and irregular
undermined margins of the laceration (b). Tissue bridges in the lacerated wound are also very apparent.
 How do we identify weapons of
offense?

Weapons often leave their “signatures” on the wound.

 How do we identify weapons of
offense?

Please look for the hilt mark on the top of the main wound.
 How do we identify weapons of
offense?

The size of the wound tells us about the dimensions of the knife. We also
look for tell-tale “signature” marks such as this peculiar projection here.
 Was it a single or a double edged
weapon?

A double edged knife would make a wound whose both angles are acute. This
murder was by a double edged weapon.
 The double edged weapon

The double edged knife used for the murder.

 The single edged weapon

This wound has one acute angle (upper). It is caused by a single edged weapon.
 The single edged weapon

These wounds have been caused by a single edged weapon. The sharp lower
angle of the lower wound is very much evident.
 Determining the size of the
weapon?

Dimensions of the wound often give away the dimensions of the weapon. But we
have got to be careful, as the skin is elastic and tends to stretch after cutting.
 The skin expands after cutting
because of elastic tissue

Cleavage Lines of Langer. Plastic surgeons are very much aware of them. Forensic
pathologists also must know them.
 The skin expands after cutting
because of elastic tissue

A stab wound gapes across in width and shortens in length, especially when across skin or
muscle planes. The wound on the right has been restored.
 Size of the wound may be shorter
than the size of the weapon

Note that the wound is slightly shorter than the width of the blade at the depth of
penetration because of sideways gaping and the contractile elasticity of the skin.
 Size of the wound may be shorter
than the size of the weapon

Multiple stabs on the back from the same knife, showing differing shapes and sizes. Much
depends on whether the wounds have crossed cleavage lines of Langer.
 Was the wound self-inflicted or was
it homicidal in nature?

If the wound is homicidal in nature, the victim would try to save himself by gripping the
weapon. This may produce special types of injuries.
Defence wounds strongly point to
Homicide

Defence wounds of palm of hand incurred in attempt to grasp knife.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds of palm of hand incurred in attempt to grasp knife.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds may be minor in nature too. Here they are in the form of fingernail
marks.
Defence wounds

Defence wounds on the 2nd and 3rd fingers

Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on grasping the weapon.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on grasping the weapon.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on grasping the weapon.

Defence wounds

Defence wound in the form of a bruise. The cut has been made by the
pathologist.
Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on grasping the weapon.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on grasping the weapon.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on fending off the attack.

Defence wounds

Defence wounds sustained on grasping the weapon.

Defence wounds

Occasionally, the weapon may become impacted in the defence wound.

Defence wounds

Children may get defence wounds too! This child is just 3 year old (a
girl)
Mechanism of Defence wounds

Demonstration of defence wound of back of forearm.

Mechanism of Defence wounds

Note that it is the ulnar area that is most often involved in

defence wounds
 Defence wounds on unusual areas

Defense wounds on the knees and legs suggest that the victim was lying on the ground during the attack.
Injuries in these locations tend to produce suspicion of a sexual motive for the killing.
Self-inflicted wounds - Mechanism

Note that it is the radial area (in contrast to ulnar area in defence
wounds) that is most often involved in self-inflicted wounds.
Self-inflicted wounds - Mechanism

Ventral aspects of forearm are also quite frequently involved in self-

inflicted wounds.
Tentative or hesitation cuts

Hesitational or tentative cuts are multiple, superficial, parallel. They are

strongly indicative of suicide.
Tentative or hesitation cuts

Hesitational or tentative cuts can be on the neck too. To an uninitiated,

this may look like a case of homicide, but this is suicide.
Tentative or hesitation cuts

Close up of the same case.

Types of injuries, which can give
away the criminal

Types of injury to the skin.

 Abrasions can tell us the direction
of application of force

Determination of the direction of impact in an abrasion caused by a tangential

force. The epidermal tags raised by the impact tend to pile up at the distal end.
 Abrasions can tell us the direction
of application of force

shreds of epidermis peeled towards the lower end. So the direction of impact of
the weapon must be from above downwards.
 Identification of the weapon from
abrasions

Patterned abrasions from the back edge of a serrated “Rambo” knife. Measurements and
photographs with a scale is done by us in order to assist in the identification of the weapon.
 Identification of the weapon from
abrasions

Falling down steps onto a metal grid.

 Identification of the weapon from
contusions

Intradermal bruising showing the pattern of rubber soles of “trainer” shoes on the
neck and T-shirt of a homicide victim.
 Identification of the weapon from
contusions

Kicking with a patterned rubber sole of the shoe. A proper measurement of this
wound assists us in identification of the shoe.
 How are tramline bruises caused?

Formation of “tramline” bruising from the application of a rectangular or

cylindrical object.
 Tramline bruises

“Tramline” bruising caused by beating with a broom handle.

 Sexual assault and Murder

Scene of a sex assault. Note the dug-in toe marks of the assailant. These can
clearly be seen between the dead girl's feet.
 Sexual assault and Murder

Same case. Dug-in toe marks of the assailant can be seen here too. Note the drag marks coming from the
stairs. The evidence suggests the girl was sexually assaulted out in the open.
 Sexual assault and Murder

Same case. Fingernail marks on the labia (folds) at the entrance to the vagina and stretching of the orifice of the anus. Seminal
fluid taken from the vagina is sent for DNA profiling. It is as if the assailant left his “visiting card” here.
 Various Types of Hymen

Several varieties of hymen.

 Various Types of Hymen

Several varieties of hymen. 1. Intact - Annular, with natural notches 2. Intact - Fimbriated 3.
Ruptured following coitus 4. Ruptured extensively, following delivery.
 Sexual assault and Murder

Victim of sex crime was strangled by a belt. After death a broom handle was inserted in her
vagina and pushed upward into the abdominal cavity and the right pleural cavity.
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia)

Sexual asphyxia. Also known as masochistic asphyxia, Kotzwarraism or Koczwarism

(Kotzwarra was an eighteenth-century musician who died in an erotic asphyxial episode).
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia)

These pictures were found at the scene. They were in full view of the deceased.
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia)

Another case of sexual hanging, very similar to the previous one.

 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia)

These pictures were found at the scene. They were in full view of the deceased.
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia)

These pictures were found at the scene. They were in full view of the deceased.
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia in the
female -1)

A "sex" hanging in a female.

 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia in the
female-2)

A 17-year-old woman lying partly on bed. A plastic bag is placed over the head and the body
and extremities are tied up.
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia in the
female-3)

A 28-year-old woman bound with chains, lying in the autopsy room. The pattern of the chains is clearly
visible, showing similarity to a typical homicide ritual of the Italian mafia called “incaprettamento”.
 Bizarre cases (Sexual asphyxia in the
female-4)

A 48-year-old woman hanging fully dressed in a basement doorway with protective padding of the neck; the
feet are tied up.
 Bizarre cases (Death during abnormal
sexual practices)

The case shown is particularly unusual in that both participants in sexual intercourse have been electrocuted.
Each was connected to the same electricity supply by way of a metal rod inserted in the anus (b). Both died
when the apparatus was switched on.
For a downloadable copy of this presentation, please visit

www.geradts.com/anil

Thanks for bearing

with me!