Inexplicable death forces the scrutiny of the period preceding demise. Suspicious deaths may not be immediate. Unexplainable deaths may precede physician or emergency room visits, hospitalizations, or even diagnostic procedures. Medical records may contain important clues to the mechanism of disease and of demise. Incorporating history from witnesses and other collateral sources, along with an expert understanding of mechanisms of illness, the emergency medicine physician carefully considers evidence to weigh the range of factors contributing to the victim’s death in death investigation cases.
Peer Reviewed Forensic Death Investigation
Was it homicide? Did the victim die from stab wounds, or was it an infection acquired in the ambulance on the way to the hospital? What is the evidence of poison? What poison, and what vector? When the circumstances surrounding a victim’s death are unclear or ambiguous, The Forensic Panel’s peer-review mechanism ensures diligence and accountability in the death investigation. Moreover, this advanced evaluation protocol employs experts of complimentary areas of expertise – such as trauma surgery or anesthesia – to contribute multiple disciplines’ input to the physician’s answers to complex questions in death investigation cases.