Medicolegal death investigations

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is a free and open meeting where attendees learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of 17 videos recorded at the 2018 symposium.

The symposium was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 18, 2018.

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is a free and open meeting where attendees learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of 17 videos recorded at the 2018 symposium.

The symposium was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 18, 2018.

The NIJ Forensic Science Research and Development Symposium is a free and open meeting where attendees learn about NIJ-funded research across a variety of forensic science areas. This is one of 17 videos recorded at the 2018 symposium.

The symposium was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on February 18, 2018.

Dr. Leon Higley’s work to characterize blow-fly species indicates that there is variation within a single population--the bell curve is wide. Dr. Higley will share his research and discuss how the science is challenging some notions about PMI analysis.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on November 7, 2018.

This webinar will focus on the North Carolina Medical Examiner System and the toxicology laboratory that serves the system. Included will be information on the changing landscape of death certification and changes to the laboratory approach to testing.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on November 21, 2017.

This presentation discusses experimental tests of a model for drug uptake by human bone and explores how the results may be applied to detect nerve agent exposure from human remains recovered from mass graves during human rights investigations.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 9, 2017.

In this webinar, we will introduce a newly developed software tool called “Fragmento”. Viewers will be able to learn how to use Fragmento to sort and assemble skeletal fragmentary remains and reconstruct the full bone and biological profile.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on May 3, 2018.

Attendees will be introduced to the new features of the new software release, how to maximize results, and how to best interpret results for forensic casework application.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on August 16, 2018.
 

Insect evidence can provide valuable information during death investigations. Forensic entomologists estimate the ages of the immature insects like blow flies, which can provide useful information regarding timelines in death investigations.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence on October 24, 2018.

Medicolegal death investigators serve a fundamental role for public safety and ensuring justice by conducting death scene investigations and providing investigation services for suspected homicides and violent deaths, sudden and unexpected deaths, and deaths due to suspicious circumstances, as well as deaths related to drugs, drug overdoses, terrorism, and mass fatality incidents.

This webinar was presented by the NIJ Forensic Technology Center of Excellence in July 2018.

Census and Surveillance Efforts: Insight into the U.S. Medicolegal Death Investigation System Presenters: Dr. Jeri Ropero-Miller & Dr. Hope Smiley-McDonald In 2015, nearly 2.5 million people died in the United States. Of these, about one million were referred to the nation’s medical examiner and coroner offices (MECs), which accepted about half of these cases. MEC caseloads are at all-time high because many of these deaths require a complex, in-depth investigation.

Update on Legalized Marijuana from the Mile High City Presenter: Dr. James Caruso In 2012, the state of Colorado passed amendment 62, which allowed the possession, recreational use, production, distribution, and personal cultivation of marijuana. Since then, other states have also legalized marijuana for medical and recreational uses. This session covers the history, “discovery,” criminalization, and legalization of marijuana in Colorado and other states.

Ethics & Report Writing Presenter: Mr. Paul Parker There are currently many resources that explore ethics within law enforcement, but there is a lack of resources on ethics within the field of medicolegal death investigation (MDI). MDI personnel are placed in a position of public trust, and it is necessary that there is a focus on the ethics, character, and behavior of MDI personnel. This session discusses professional ethics, ethical and unethical behaviors, and fostering and maintaining professional integrity.

Death Scene Investigations: Roles & Responsibilities Presenter: Ms. Barbara Butcher This presentation discusses the difference between the cause and manner of death, steps of a scene investigation, and the role of a medicolegal death investigator. Additionally, this session describes what happens after death, artifacts caused after death, and methods for identifying a decedent. Finally, Ms. Butcher provides examples of scenarios that a death investigator may encounter.