Description
1. When investigating a suicide, oftentimes the family does not want to believe that the victim committed suicide. Discuss and provide examples of what things are required to rule a death as a suicide before an autopsy?
The coroner should interview key survivors who may have been close to the victim to shed light on their situation. Behavioral scientists can begin to conduct a psychological autopsy. A social scientist can aid in finding the victim’s intentions to kill him or herself. This type of “autopsy” provides additional information to the deceased. A few questions that a psychological autopsy can help answer are:
“Why did the individual do it?”
“How did the individual die?”
“What is the most probable mode of death?
(Bryant & Peck, 2009).
When determining a gunshot death, it is important to rule out if it is a homicide or a suicide. One identifying factor could be where the weapon was recovered concerning the body position.
2. Explain what is meant by “equivocal death” and provide examples.
Equivocal deaths are when the cause of death is determined but the manner of death is still up for interpretation. These types of deaths are not categorized into one specific category such as natural, accidental, suicidal, or homicidal (Bryant & Peck, 2009). These types of deaths are open for interpretation pending any further information or evidence that could differentiate the circumstances of the death. Drug-related deaths require greater investigative measures to determine the mode of death. Many forms of drug-related overdoses may appear as if they were suicides, but were accidental. Suicides in some instances have to be reviewed thoroughly to ensure that the act was not a homicide or an unintentional death. Examples of this would be in situations where people may be involved in an autoerotic activity and die of asphyxiation. Psychological autopsies need to be performed in many of these scenarios to bring clarity to the situation.
Identify and discuss a few artifacts that can help determine the manner of death in equivocal death scenes?
Some artifacts and information that could be collected are interviews with family, friends, and other people who may have a relationship or known knowledge of the victim. They can investigate medical records which include mental health documentation if applicable. Personal documentation, police records, toxicology reports, and possible suicide notes may also be helpful.