Crime Scene and Death Scene

Investigations

DATO DR ZAHARI BIN NOOR, DIMP.

MD(USM), DLM(Sheffield), DMJ(Lond),
MSc(Sheffield), DipForMed(Monash). FFFLM(Lond)

Ketua Jabatan dan Pakar Perunding Forensik

Jabatan Perubatan Forensik
Hospital Pulau Pinang

Post mortem what it means

Post mortem Examina1on examining the dead
body which means reviewing the Medical Records,
notes, history, examining the circumstances of the
death which may include death scene examina1on as
well as physical examina1on and inves1ga1ons on
the body.
The ABending Medical Ocer conduc1ng the
examina1on is given the authority to dissect
(internal examina1on) and take whatever por1on of
1ssues and specimens from the body.

Medicolegal Post Mortem

Post mortem examina1on are conducted :-
1. Iden1fy the body
2. To determine the Cause and Manner of
Death (S328 CPC).
2. To manage evidences from the body
3. To interpret injuries/ndings for
reconstruc1ng the events preceding
death.

The type of cases that a Forensic Medicine

Specialist may be involved are :-

Homicidal death.
Suspicious circumstances.
Body found dead where the
circumstances were unusual
or suspicious.
Major incidents or disasters
involving mul1ple fatali1es.
Mul1ple deaths with problems
of iden1ca1on or suspicious
circumstances.
Sudden death where the
manner of death may not be
explained.
Suspected child abuse (fatal
abuses).

Accident death with unusual

circumstances.
Firearms death.
Explosion scene death.
Death in re with suspicious
circumstances.
Bodies with dicult
iden1ca1on.
Suicidal death with unusual
circumstances.
Death in custody.
Search and recovery of human
remains.
Exhuma1on

Post Mortem Examina1on

Scene of Death/Incident examina1on (CSI)
History from rela1ve/police 9Interview)
Clinical records (Review)
External examina1on (Examine)
Limited internal (Dissect)
Full internal
Imaging
Specialized procedures - eyeball, spinal, lung
en bloc, brain, marrow
Laboratory Ix

CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

EVIDENCE AND RECONSTRUCTION
If body has not been moved or disturbed
Urgent CSI, before post mortem examina1on
RECONSTRUCTION
If body has been moved or died in hospital
Aaer Post Mortem Examina1on completed

Scene of incident examina1on

Homicides - determine the cause & manner
of death, evidence mx and Reconstruc1on
of event
Suspicious circumstances determine the
cause & manner of death, evidence mx and
Reconstruc1on of event
Major Incidents Assess the number of
casual1es, workload, manpower & logis1cs
requirement, evidence collec1on,
reconstruc1on of event

 Recovery of human remains search, recover,

iden1fy human remains, determine the cause
& manner of death, evidence mx and
Reconstruc1on of event
Exhuma1on clandes1ne or known burial
grounds- search, recover, iden1fy human
remains, determine the cause & manner of
death, evidence mx and Reconstruc1on of
event.

CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

Crime Scene Inves1ga1on Forensic Medical

Teams Plan of ac1on
Scene recogni1on
Scene site
Body
Surroundings
Methods of searches and recovery
Mode and route of transporta1on of the body and
body parts
Period of site protec1on and preserva1on
Cleaning of site

Crime Scene Protocol- Hayden & Henry C Lee

Secure establish a
baseline.
Interview ocers,
witnesses.
Examine the scene and
environment.
Photograph overall, mid,
close, with/without scale,
with/without marker.

Sketch the spa1al

rela1onships of the scene.
Process the scene and
scene components.
Reconstruct
Report logs, evidence
reports, inves1ga1ve
ac1ons.

Scene recogni1on

Plan of ac1on
Manpower
Equipment
Communica1ons
Decontamina1on area

Scene recogni1on
Informa1on required, when contacted by the
police.
Loca1on of the scene
Who and how many dead bodies.
What is the condi1on of the body.
Time of body being found.
Any informa1on the body was last seen alive
Circumstances of events surrounding the body

Where the body was found

Exhuma1on

Scene of Crime Condi1on of the body

Condi1ons of the body- Body

Integrity

Severely charred from burns

Covered with debris from blast

Restric1ons on arrival at the scene

Instruct the Inves1ga1ng Ocer the body
must remains undisturbed 1ll the FMT arrived.
Unless for public safety & welfare.
Nobody must enter the scene without
supervision/authorized by the Inves1ga1ng
Ocer.
The FMT must never interfere with any CPR
aBempts by any Emergency & Rescue Team
unless to assist the CPR aBempts.

Entering the Death (Crime) Scene

Enter the loca1on only with supervision of the
Inves1ga1ng Ocer.
Only authorized persons involved in the
inves1ga1on remain in the inner perimeter of
the scene.
All persons entering the inner perimeter must
be recorded name, rank, agency
All persons in the inner perimeter must wear
suitable PPEs.

Basic PPEs @ Crime Scene

Forensic Team at a
scene of Crime at Jalan
Wong Ah Jang on
December 2005

GLOVES

BOOTS
GOWN

Conduct the scene walk through

Provide overview of the en1re
scene
1st opportunity to locate, view
the body, iden1fy forensic
evidence esp. fragile evidence
and determine the next
inves1ga1ve procedures and
examina1on of the body
Establish per1nent scene
perimeters

Procedures
Reassess the scene boundaries
Establish path of entry and exit
Den1fy visible fragile evidence
Document and collect if appropriate fragile
evidence
Locate and view evidence

Documenta1on before Body Examina1on

Police Photographer take photograph of all
the located evidence and body during scene
walk through.
Tagging of evidence by the police team
Sketching of the scene and the body
Descrip1on of the scene and the body in the
Crime Scene Form
Crime Scene Forms\HTAA-JPF-B002-CRIME SCENE
FORM.doc

Ini1al examina1on of the body

Assess the posi1on and condi1on of the body.
Pronouncing death
Assess whether the body has been moved or
not.
Measure Temperature of the body and
surrounding
Assess the stages of post mortem changes

 Examine for obvious injuries, asphyxial signs,

impaled weapons etc
Assess the iden1ca1on markers if possible
eg visual, external pathological marks or
abnormali1es

Death Scene examina1on- Pronounced death

Pronounced death unless obviously death
has taken place e.g. decomposed, skeletal
remains, body parts, catastrophic injury not
compa1ble with life eg.mangled/decapitated
body.
In Malaysia, the AMO/Rescue/Ambulance
operators cannot cer1fy death has taken
place, at least should be brought to the
hospital to cer1fy that death has taken place
by the doctor.

Pronouncing death
Assessing the condi1on of the body post
mortem changes esp. the early changes
Examine for the absence of pulse and
respira1on
Record the 1me and date of pronouncement
of death

Examine the scene around and on the

body
Look and list the clothing, personal items,
jewelry when such material are visible and
iden1able. But without disrobing or
otherwise signicantly disturbed the body.
(Final accoun1ng of such items must be
carried out at autopsy).

Determine whether or not the

body has been moved
Importance
1. If the body has been moved, raised issue of which
jurisdic1on will be inves1ga1ng & prosecu1ng
2. Its important to locate the actual place of death/
injuries , it may be that loca1on where forensic evidence
may be most recovered.
3. The actual place may provide most informa1on on the
circumstances of death for reconstruc1on
4. If the body has been moved may alter the rate of post
mortem changes

How to determine whether body has been

moved or not?
Condi1on of the body
Posi1on of the body odd posi1on, rela1on
between lividity with posi1on of the body

Measuring body temperature

Measure the surrounding temperature rst
within 20 to 30 cm from the body.
Use Rectal Thermometer or Body
Thermometer
Site: Rectum, intra abdominal (require
incision), inner ear (will perforate the ear
drum).
Measure for at least 5 minutes

Assess the post mortem changes

Lividity (color, loca1on, distribu1on)
consistent or not with posi1on.
Rigidity (stage, intensity, loca1on) consistent
or not with the scene and posi1on.
Degree of decomposi1on
Insect ac1vity
Temperature

The Police CSI team

Collect all the relevant evidence at the scene.
Photograph and sketch drawing the en1re
scene for photographic evidence
Items such as weapon, drugs, money or any
jewelry or documents found at the scene are
best taken charge by the police.
Any sharps or needles should be safely
secured

Transpor1ng the body from the scene

to the Mortuary
Secure items on the body.
Photograph and Sketch drawing the body and
all personal items at the vicinity before
removing.
Ensure body is protected from further trauma
and contamina1on

 Cover the hands and feet and even the head if

necessary in a paper bag or large size
envelope.
Place the body in a body bag. Tagged and
staked the scene and the body bag if more
than 1 bodies.
Supervise removal and placing body in the
body bag and police vehicle. (prevent further
trauma and contamina1on)

Hazards at the crime scene

Bio hazards blood, body uids, body, body
uids contamina1ng materials around the
body
Chemical any chemicals at the scene, spills,
noxious gases, fuel
Physical sharp metal edges, falling masonry,
surroundings etc

Beware physical hazards

Jangan pegang mayat tanpa sarung

tangan

Safety barriers at the scene

Scene recogni1on
evaluate the scene and plan the opera1on
3 1er perimeter
for isola1ng and securing the scene

- Outer perimeter, larger than actual scene,

for onlookers, media other non essen1als
- Inner perimeter, for work area and

command post
- Core area, the scene site

An Exhumation
Crime Scene
Are there any outer and
inner perimeters?
Any perimeter at all?

Protec1ve equipment
Depending on the hazards or levels of
threat-
Body at the scene, skeletal remains, body with blood
spaBers, hazardous re, explosive scene, chemical spills,
Infected bodies etc
Minimum protec1ve equipment
Gloves, apron, mask, shoe cover or boots
Body bag or body pouch

Communica1ons
Levels of command plan of ac1on and
securing perimeters
Using of communica1on equipments at the
scene- hands free, hand phone with a gloved
hand aaer handling the body and place the
phone near your mouth and ears!

Decontamina1on area
Designated changing area
Place to change clothes to protec1ve suite
and removing it aaer out from the core area
Place to discard contaminated gloves, aprons,
mask etc in biohazard bag
Within the inner perimeter
Best is area have water supply tap water,
mobile containment suite/vehicle

CSI - Interes1ng Cases

A burnt car, CRV as a scene of crime, involving Police, Bomba, Dept.

of Forensic Medicine, HTAA & Chemistry Dept. at Kampung Ubai,
Kuantan

CSI - Interes1ng Cases

Above shown picture taken from a murder scene at Jabor, Kuantan in

March 2006

Homicide or Natural cause? Bleeding

Esophageal Varices with massive Upper
GIT Bleeding

References
Baldwin, Hayden. Crime Scene Processing Protocol. Recovered 27 Sept.
2006 hBp://www.feinc.net/cs-proc.htm.
Bevel, Tom and Ross M. Gardner. Bloodstain PaBern
Analysis. 2nd
ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2002.
Lee, Henry and Timothy Palmbach and Marilyn T. Miller. Henry Lees
Crime Scene Handbook. New York: Academic Press,
2001.
Osterburg, James and Richard H. Ward. Criminal Inves1ga1on: A
Method For Inves1ga1ng the Past. 4th ed. Cincinna1, Ohio:
Anderson Publishing, 2004.
Rynearson, Joseph M. Evidence and Crime SceneReconstruc1on. 6th ed.
Redding, CA: Na1onal Crime Inves1ga1on and Training, 2002.
Schum, David A. The Eviden1al Founda1ons ofProbabilis1c
Reasoning. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University
Press,
1994.

ALL HOMICIDE CASES

PAKAR PERUBATAN FORENSIK

WAJIB KE TEMPAT KEJADIAN
WALAUPUN MANGSA TELAH
DIBAWA KE HOSPITAL DAN
SELEPAS BEDAHSIASAT !!!

THE REAL CSI

YOU DONT SEE THESE ON TV

Scene of incident Determine the

cause & manner of death

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Scene of Crime- Search and Recovering human

remains

Scene of Crime
- Exhuma1on

Scene of Crime- Determine the manner of

death in suspicious case

Scene of Incident- Major incident

Helicopter crash

Highland Tower Collapse-1994

Scene of death in custody

Scene of Crime- Homicides

Homicides- Do not move the body

un1l the Forensic Pathologist arrived at the scene

The crime scene

51
spatter

Small arterial spurt

broken pottery

53

Neck incisions

Hesitation injuries

Probe in carotid artery

Thyroid cartilage

72

Blood ow paBern

Stabbing 1

74

76

Blood ow on the shirt

Horizontally to R side

78

Bloodspots on the pants

Homicide or Natural cause? Bleeding

Esophageal Varices with massive Upper
GIT Bleeding

Altered blood malaenic stool and

blood

Out door scene- oaen no blood

spaBer esp. if it rains prior to
discovery

Pictures of the victim and the car. The

Body was pulled out from the car boot
and left on the ground.
Hair swipe blood pattern and blood
smear patterns in the car boot.

THE REAL CSI AS SEEN ON TV

Assess the Scene for further ac1on

Supervise body removal from the

scene

Document and collect evidence

from the body

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION

Iden1ca1on Features
Condi1on of the Body
Post Mortem Changes
Abnormali1es of Deformi1es, diseases
Injuries
Detail examina1on of injuries

Examine clothing carefully, bullet may exit out and

trapped within the clothing folds.

Cheroh 188/05

Cheroh 188/05

Jerangau 80/05

Kuantan 463/08

Kuantan 463/08

Dabong 160/08- 9/7/08

Dabong 160/08- 9/7/08

A 15 yrs old girl referred to
HRPZ Kota Bharu h/o PV
bleeding. Signs of recent
delivery & pregnancy.
Admits had delivered a baby
at home. But died shortly
thereaaer.1 week ago and
secretly buried the baby at
back of the house 1 day later
Had sexual rela1onship with
cousin aged 22 yrs

Dabong 160/08- 9/7/08

Chendering 134/08

Chendering 134/08

Chendering
134/08

Chendering 134/08

Chendering 134/08

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR APPETITE NOW?

1993

1987

PRESENT