Citation

Prahlow SP, Prahlow JA. J. Forensic Sci. 2018; 63(6): 1899-1903.

Affiliation

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, 49007.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.13774

PMID

29518256

Abstract

As forensic scientists and physicians, forensic pathologists are duty-bound to perform their examinations with integrity and professionalism. The practice of medicine requires knowledge regarding the history and presentation of the patient. In forensic pathology, the history includes scene and other investigative information, and the decedent's medical and social history. Such information is important for the correct certification of the cause and manner of death. Herein, the authors present a case originally thought by police and death investigators to represent a sexual-assault-related homicide, as an elderly female's body was found partially nude, and apparently beaten, on the muddy floor of her horse barn. At autopsy, some of the injuries were determined to be postmortem and caused by horses. Additionally, gastric Wishnewsky spots indicated hypothermia as a probable mechanism of death. Finally, an acute hip fracture was identified, which explained why she was incapable of moving from her potentially dangerous environment.

© 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

cognitive bias; death investigation; forensic pathology; forensic science; hip fracture; homicide; hypothermia; manner of death; postmortem injury; scene investigation