NCJ Number
196709
Date Published
1997
Length
713 pages
Annotation
This Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) book offers a holistic approach to managing and investigating the death of a human being. It consolidates training material used in the Basic Death Investigation Course and Death Investigation Field Schools conducted by the FBI Academy.
Abstract
This book was prepared and produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a comprehensive aid for law enforcement in the management and investigation of human deaths. This course manual takes a holistic approach to the investigation into the death of a human being consolidating training material utilized in other courses at the Behavioral Science Unit, FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Beginning with approaching a death scene, the effects of a traumatic death scene on the first officer and assigned investigator are discussed. By using examples, investigative aids and techniques are reviewed. The book is divided into 29 detailed sections that include: (1) managing death investigations; (2) development of the coroner and the medical examiner system; (3) death investigation medical terminology; (4) forensic autopsy; (5) approaching the death scene; (6) personality assessment; (7) postmortem changes and time of death/identification of unknown human remains; (8) identification of human remains; (9) forensic entomology; (10) an overview of blunt force injuries and their effects; (11) an overview of injuries from edged weapons and their effects on the body/closed head injuries; (12) blood spatter pattern analysis; (13) homicide by poisoning; (14) asphyxial death; (15) firearms injuries; (16) fire deaths; (17) substance abuse deaths; (18) autoerotic fatalities; (19) suicide; (20) equivocal death; (21) child abuse/forensic pediatrics/Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; (22) Munchausen Syndrome by proxy; (23) the investigation of sex-related homicides; (24) criminal investigative analysis; (25) crime scene and profile characteristics of organized and disorganized murderers; (26) profiling concepts; (27) method of operation versus signature; (28) overview of drowning; and (29) miscellaneous. References, tables, and photographs