HOMICIDE OR NATURAL DEATH? INTEREST OF FORENSIC EXAMINATION: A CASE REPORT

Abstract

In some cases where death seems complex, external examination of the corpse at the scene of discovery is necessary to guide the first elements of the investigation to an
accident, a crime or a suicide.
Introduction: When the death is suspicious the competent authorities call the forensic pathologist to assess the
nature of the circumstances of death. In very rare cases,
the preliminary data of the investigation can suggest that
the cause of death is criminal in nature while the external examination of the body indicates a natural death,
later confirmed by autopsy findings.
Case report: We report the case of an 89-year-old woman
who was found on her exercise bike with the region under
the chin resting on the handlebars. Initial findings by the
police showed drops of blood on the floor and the presence
of a large lesion in the cervical area evoking the suspicion
of a criminal act. The medical examiner who came to the
scene dismissed the assumption of third party intervention which was later confirmed by a forensic autopsy.
Conclusion: Death from natural causes is not always as
obvious as it may seem. Some unusual discoveries of
bodies require some vigilance and extensive work to best
determine the cause of death.