Following are articles published by the National Institute of Justice
Postmortem CT Scans Supplement and Replace Full Autopsies
As medical examiner and coroner offices nationwide face a severe shortage of forensic pathologists, New Mexico has pioneered the use of CT scans to reduce autopsy numbers and reduce costs.
New Screening Method to Detect Drugs and Poisons Postmortem
The Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office has developed a quick method to screen fluids for hundreds of drugs simultaneously, improving workflow.
Forensic Science Research and Development Technology Working Group: Operational Requirements
The Impact of Drugs on Human Decomposition: What Insect, Scavenger, and Microbial Evidence Tells Us
OsteoID: A New Forensic Tool to Help Identify the Species of Skeletal Remains
NIJ-supported researchers developed a free web tool to help forensic investigators and others interested in bone identification.
Supporting Law Enforcement and Prosecution of Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths
An Examination of Cuyahoga County’s Heroin Involved Death Investigation (HIDI) Protocol
Meeting the Forensic Challenges of Subadult Skeletons
Determining sex, age, and other forensic information from the skeleton of a young person has stymied investigators for decades.
Multidisciplinary Team Works to Reduce Preventable Deaths of Older Adults
The Effects of Temperature on Blowfly Colonization of Decomposing Human Bodies
Development of blowflies on a body is a standard forensic measure of time since death, but temperature variations can alter that development and mislead investigators.
Scientists Seek Connection Between Toxin-causing Bacterium and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Researchers believe a bacterium that causes food poisoning and other diseases may underlie some SIDS cases.
The Search for a Microbial Death Clock
Criminal investigators use physiological changes and insect development to determine how long a body has been dead, but scientists are using the trillions of microbes involved in human decomposition to find more accurate postmortem intervals.
Algorithm Quantifies What Experts See When They Examine Skeletons
Researchers created an open-access computer program for estimating the age of skeletal remains that outperforms current methods. The algorithm is based on 20 age-related skeletal changes identified by experienced forensic anthropologists.
New Method for Measuring Human Decomposition Could Significantly Impact Medicolegal Death Investigations
Improving postmortem interval estimation with standardized and simplified protocols could significantly impact medicolegal death investigations by providing more accurate and reliable data for determining time since death.
Scientific Working Groups in the Forensic Sciences
Improving Forensic Death Investigation
The death investigation community searches for solutions for a fragmented system