Question

Dr. Fisher’s Autopsy

Part 1: Ongoing Activity: Autopsy Results for Dr. Fisher
The autopsy on Dr. Fisher has been conducted and the following results were found.
Blood toxicology screen is clean.
A single gunshot wound to the head killed Dr. Fisher. The entrance and exit wounds show that another person fired the shot from across the room.
The body was completely stiff when found.
The backside of the body was purplish blue.
The body was at room temperature when found.
Using the information from the autopsy, answer the following questions using complete sentences.

What was the cause of death?
What was the manner of death?
The body was found at 3:00 pm on a Tuesday. Estimate the possible time of death. Provide a range and explain your answer.
Dr. Fisher was found lying on his back. Is it likely that his body was moved after death? Why or why not?
The white powder on the table was also tested. It turned out to be an unusually high-quality blend of an illegal drug. Was Dr. Fisher under its influence at the time of death? How can you tell? Speculate on what this evidence could mean for the case.
Part 2: Digging Deeper: Virtual Autopsy
The virtual autopsy is one of the newest techniques used in forensic science. Using 3D imaging, forensic scientists create interactive virtual models of bodies. These models help investigators learn more about crimes.

Watch the video about virtual autopsy and then answer the questions.

How is a virtual autopsy different from a regular autopsy? How are they similar?
What are some possible advantages and disadvantages of virtual autopsies?
Do you think virtual autopsies will ever replace regular autopsies? Why or why not?
Which type of autopsy do you think would provide the best results in the case regarding Dr. Fisher and why?
Submit your responses for both the Autopsy Report and the Virtual Autopsy to your instructor using the dropbox.

Answer 1

The cause of death for Dr. Fisher was a single gunshot.

The manner of death would be a homicide as it was determined another person was in the room.

The body was found at 3:00 pm but where the body was completely stiff and the back was purplish blue, suggests that the body had been there more than a few hours as the blood had settled at the back of the body and rigor mortis had set in.

It is unlikely that Dr. Fisher had been moved as there would have been blood smears, scratch marks, or other evidence on the body.

Dr. Fisher was not under the influence at the time of death based on the fact his blood toxicology screen was clean, so the blend of illegal drugs was most likely a factor of staging carried out by the perpatrator or it could have been a drug deal gone wrong.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

What was the cause of death?

The cause of death is a single gunshot wound to the head.

What was the manner of death?

The manner of death is homicide.

The body was found at 3:00 pm on a Tuesday. Estimate the possible time of death. Provide a range and explain your answer.

The possible time of death is between 1 AM on Tuesday.

Dr. Fisher’s body was completely stiff when it was found which indicates it was in the process of rigor mortis. Sets in between 2-6 hours and lasts 12-24 hours.

His body was room temp (let’s say 70 degrees F). If research says the body loses 2 degrees F for each hour the body is dead, if his body was an average temperature (98 degrees F) we can calculate how many hours. Hours= 14

Dr. Fisher was found lying on his back. Is it likely that his body was moved after death? Why or why not?

No, Dr. Fisher was not moved after death. His back appeared to be purplish blue which indicates that liver mortis had occurred. If he had been moved, the purple-blue staining could have been present in other parts of his body.

The white powder on the table was also tested. It turned out to be an unusually high-quality blend of an illegal drug. Was Dr. Fisher under its influence at the time of death? How can you tell? Speculate on what this evidence could mean for the case.

No, Dr. Fisher was not under the influence of anything at the time of death. His toxicology report came back completely clean.