This first hand true account of one of the most horrific murders in Canadian history gives us an insight rarely gained into the mind of a murderer and the forensics and documentation that goes into the prosecution of a murder of this caliber. Dan Zupanksy was a prime witness in this case because of his…
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Defining Time of Death There are several times of death. Let me repeat that—there are several times of death. Time of death seems to be a simple and straightforward term that obviously means the exact time that the victim drew his last breath. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. There are actually three different times…
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Stephanie Payne, author of The Sandbox Wars, talks about the battles that can occur when end of life planning is not completed. As Coroners, Medical Examiners, and death investigators we can be faced with families unprepared for a death of a loved one. You may also be faced with the “long lost” family member that…
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Forensics is the study of the past as it relates to the present. Criminal forensic is applying science to the law. In short it’s the study of known science and relating it to a crime scene for the determination and prosecution of a crime. Many men and women are specially trained to collect evidence and in…
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Critical Role of Managers and Administrators in a Medical Examiner/Coroner Office Paul R. Parker III, B.S., D-ABMDI Overview There is no greater honor than writing the last chapter of someone’s life story. As medicolegal death investigators, that is what we do and, for the most part, we do it well. With seemingly innumerable courses, electronic…
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The scene of an autoerotic death can hold a wide variety of problems and issues for the investigator. Filled with deceiving information and abnormal behavior, these scenes offer challenges to even the most seasoned investigator. However, it is vital that you get these scenes worked correctly. First and foremost, it is your job to get…
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Autoerotic deaths are accidental deaths that occur during solitary sexual activity in which some type of apparatus that was used to enhance the sexual stimulation of the deceased caused the unintentional death. The prevalence of auto-erotic fatalities is difficult to calculate, since a coroner often records a verdict of accident or misadventure. It is under…
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Predicting the postmortem interval of a decedent is a major task of law enforcement. Most methods implemented by death investigators rely on qualitative information (i.e. rigor mortis, livor mortis). Microbes represent 99% of somatic cells in and on a human body. No data are available on the use of these organisms to predict the time…
Read MoreOn July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside of a Century movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of the film The Dark Knight Rises. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. The…
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