FORS-2106EL Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Recreational Drug Use, Masking Tape, Erotic Asphyxiation
27 Jun 2018
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Forensic Biology - Day 17 2017.11.20
Death investigation - Coroner
-Case of Ms. Jones
-25 year old, live in bf came home at 4 pm, found her dead on the bathroom floor,
face down, dressed in a t-shirt and underwear
-bf calls 911, too shaken up to start car
-EMS and police arrive, no resuscitation attempted
-Police officer calls the coroner
-Why do we investigate deaths?
-We do this for the stakeholders of the investigations, therefore the people that are
affected by the event:
-family of the deceased, pubic safety, criminal justice system
Models of Death Investigation Systems
-Coroner system
-In different regions there are different requirements for becoming a coroner
-Some will require you are a doctor (ontario), a lawyer, a paralegal, social worker,
specialized investigator, etc. which will all serve the stakeholders differently
-Currently Ontario is beginning to hire nurses as coroners
-Pleas of the Crown
-This king, essentially started the coroner system
-they had knights go around, that would decide how you died and why etc. and
other factors that told them how much of your belongings would be given to the
crown
-ex. if murdered, no money would be given to the crown
-Models of death investigation System
-Coroner System
-In ON, coroners must be doctors
-In England and Australia, the coroners are lawyers
-There is some places, US and Alberta, where they use the Medical Examiner
Model, here the person that conducts autopsy (pathologist) will be the coroner
-Which model serves which stakeholders best?
-very subjective to who the stakeholders are
-Where is Ontario Headed?
-nurses can be coroners
-forensic pathologists are becoming coroners in some areas
-Coroners Act
-Gives the coroner sole jurisdiction over the body
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
-Mandate of fact-finding and public safety
-so in Ontario there are 95 000 deaths, about 18 000 deaths are examined by a
coroner, and about half of the 18 000 have an autopsy
-when a natural death occurs, a coroner is not needed
-but deaths that are suspect to be homicide, or any other unlawful acts, will be
investigated by coroners
-Other acts that are followed by coroners:
-Coroners Act
-Anatomy Act
-Vital statistics Act
-Funeral, Burial, Cremation service Act
-Trillium Gift of Life Act
-5 main questions
-Who died?
-When did the death occur?
-Where did the death occur?
-How did the death occur? (i.e. cause of death)
-By what manner did the death occur?
-This is a controversial one
-Natural
-Accident
-Suicide
-Homicide
-Undetermined
-Coroners’ Powers
-Jurisdiction over the body, enter and Inspect, examine, seize, autopsy and other
testing, police assistance and direction. (Inquests)
-The Team
-Coroner
-The coroner is the one that kind of brings the team, together
-Pathologist
-Police
-Other scientists (such as….)
-Ministry of Labour
-OOFM
-TSB
-CAS
-Many others
-Principles
-Come in with an open and your own mind, but keep an open mind on what could
have happened
-Know your role in the team
-Look with your own eyes
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
25 year old, live in bf came home at 4 pm, found her dead on the bathroom oor, face down, dressed in a t-shirt and underwear. Bf calls 911, too shaken up to start car. Ems and police arrive, no resuscitation attempted. We do this for the stakeholders of the investigations, therefore the people that are affected by the event: Family of the deceased, pubic safety, criminal justice system. In different regions there are different requirements for becoming a coroner. Some will require you are a doctor (ontario), a lawyer, a paralegal, social worker, specialized investigator, etc. which will all serve the stakeholders differently. Currently ontario is beginning to hire nurses as coroners. This king, essentially started the coroner system. They had knights go around, that would decide how you died and why etc. and other factors that told them how much of your belongings would be given to the crown.
