Forensic Pathology, anyone?

  Blunt Force Trauma-

 is - as its name would suggest - a severe traumatic episode caused to the body or head with the sudden introduction of a blunt instrument used with great force. This can sometimes be caused by an attacker striking out at a victim with their hands, a large piece of wood, a baseball bat or other such item that would cause heavy damage to the body or skull if impacted against them quickly. (www.exploreforensics.co.uk/blunt-force-trauma.html) -all forensic definitions will be from this site. 

On the autopsy report, there are a lot of terms used to indicate injuries to Jessie's body.

She was found face up on a slight embankment. Discarded, like trash. 

Some of the terms used that you might want to become familiar with:

Abrasions: Cuts, grazing of the skin or friction burns which can be caused by the victim being beaten, dragged or kicked. These wounds can sometimes indicate that a victim hit against something or was hit with something and it can also be used to measure how much of a struggle the victim put up against his or her attacker.

• Lacerations: This is the tearing of tissue underneath the skin. An individual may be beaten severely or have sustained a severe bump against a stationary object and underneath the skin (subcutaneous) there may be severe damage caused to tissue and organs. Visual examinations do not always show this to be the case and if the victim has died an autopsy will most certainly be carried out.
• Bruising: Often a good indicator that there are broken blood vessels beneath the surface of the skin. Although there may be some bruising this cannot always be a definite indicator as to how much damage has been sustained deeper within the body such as in the chest cavity and around the lungs.
• Defensive wounds are more often than not to be found on the hands of an individual who has been attacked or involved in a fight. These wounds, which are normally to be found around the hands, fingers, and arms of the victim - and indeed sometimes the attacker - can be examined in order to determine how much of a struggle the victim put up and how much of a frenzy the attacker was in.JESSIE'S WOUNDS:

The Pathological Diagnoses:

1. Multiple blunt force injuries:

     A. Scalp lacerations and abrasions and deep scalp and subgaleal hemorrhages. (bleeding in the potential space between the skull periosteum and the scalp galea aponeurosis.)

     B. Parietal bones(a bone forming the central side and upper back part of each side of the skull)

fractures and left side occipital bone (the bone that forms the back and base of the skull, and through which the spinal cord passes)Fracture. 

     C. Basilar skull fracture (a break of a bone in the base of the skull.) frontal and sphenoid bones 

     D. Subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages. (this is a pitiful drawing, but I think it does the job)

     E. Brain Contusions (brain parenchymal hemorrhages) bruises in the brain

     F. Contusions of the hands. (bruising)

     G. Fracture of the fourth digit of the right hand.

     H. Soft tissue contusions, lacerations and abrasions. 

II. Intrauterine pregnancy, compatible with approximately 16 weeks gestations age fetus. 

     A. All organs in anatomic position.

     B. No gross (macroscopic) congenital abnormalities. 

The official cause of death: Multiple blunt force injuries. 

This is from Jessie's official autopsy report. It is heavy and gets heavier. This is all for this blog post. I will go further into it in the next one. 

                                 Until next time...