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Death Acre: Tales of Dead Body Land

Gestión de la escena del crimen dentro de la ciencia forense: Técnicas forenses para investigaciones criminales

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Crime Scene Management within Forensic Science

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Abstract

The crime scene can be defined as the place or object that is subject to require a forensic examination. To this classic definition, in 2018, the ISO 21043, also including a body (living or deceased) of a human being or an animal is considered a crime scene as well. That is why each deceased, whether in a hospital or elsewhere, must be treated as a crime scene and therefore follow the protocol detailed below to establish the cause and manner of death. This information and documentation are crucial for experts who are involved in the analysis, as well as the legal and health authorities of each country to make the best decisions.

Our working group has especially focused on the handling of corpses during the pandemic, which is why we have included several quotes regarding contaminated bodies. We estimate that the documentation generated at crime scenes in this period will constitute not only a record of legal interest but also epidemiological and historical, especially due to the restrictions that several countries have placed on the practice of autopsies. Faced with this, the external examination and its documentation are enormously valuable, since many times they will be the only records that can be obtained from the body.

Facing this, the external examination and its documentation are enormously valuable, since many times they will be the only records that can be obtained from the body.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The technical solution to use:

    • should not interfere with the determinations of DNA and toxic substances that may need to be carried out later

    • must not stain the clothing or affect the areas of different coloration that the corpse may present.

    • Its chemical formula must be known and safe for researchers, other people, animals and the environment. Our working group has been using a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonium in aqueous solution in low concentrations, which meets these requirements, based on the EPA recommendations.

      United States Environmental Protection Agency: www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2.

  2. 2.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526015/.

  3. 3.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526015/.

  4. 4.

    http://sids.org/.

  5. 5.

    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/suddeninfantdeathsyndrome.html.

  6. 6.

    Photographic camera CANON EOS 800D multispectral.

  7. 7.

    https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n1413.pdf&ver=23960.

  8. 8.

    Occam’s razor: (or Ockham’s) is a principle of reasoning formulated at the end of the Middle Ages, and also known as the principle of prudence or simplicity. It is attributed to the Franciscan monk and philosopher William of Ockham, although it was known before him. This principle states: A reasoning based on fewer and simpler premises is more plausible. The fewer assumptions, the better.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain

    Diego Romo Contreras, William Aguilar Navarro & Carmen Cerda Aguilar

  2. Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile

    Diego Romo Contreras

  3. University of Nebrija, Madrid, Spain

    William Aguilar Navarro

  4. University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    William Aguilar Navarro

  5. Department of Anatomy and Legal Medicine (DAML), Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    William Aguilar Navarro & Carmen Cerda Aguilar

  6. Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Carlos A. Gutiérrez

  7. Department of Physical Anthropology, Social Sciences Faculty, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile

    Carmen Cerda Aguilar

Authors
  1. Diego Romo Contreras
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  2. William Aguilar Navarro
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  3. Carlos A. Gutiérrez
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  4. Carmen Cerda Aguilar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carmen Cerda Aguilar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Forensic Sciences, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India

    Jaskaran Singh

  2. School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional Univeristy, Jalandhar, Punjab, India

    Neeta Raj Sharma

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Contreras, D.R., Navarro, W.A., Gutiérrez, C.A., Aguilar, C.C. (2022). Death Acre: Tales of Dead Body Land. In: Singh, J., Sharma, N.R. (eds) Crime Scene Management within Forensic Science. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-6683-4_2

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