Techniques

History and Death Scene Investigation

Before accepting any body for examination, it is imperative that the veterinary examiner obtains a detailed history from the investigating officer or other party (Gerdin & McDonough, 2013). This history should include as much relevant information as known such as, but not limited to, the species, breed, age, and sex of the animal to be examined; the number of animals to be examined; the geographic location in which the body was found; the circumstances of the death; a description of the scene; the date and time the animal was found dead; the last known time the animal was alive; how the body was stored since it was found; whether the owner is known and whether the owner is suspected to have been involved in the animal’s death; specific questions to be answered by the necropsy. Any communications including telephone conversations, personal conversations, emails, text messages, or any others should be documented by the veterinary examiner with date and time in the case file. The consideration of the case history by the pathologist prior to conducting the necropsy is a topic of occasional debate; however, its merits far outweigh any theoretical drawbacks in the hands of an unbiased professional. Only by understanding the facts surrounding the death as they are known can the pathologist consider the death in the proper context and answer the

Techniques questions asked by law enforcement. For example, the body of a wet dog presented for necropsy may have resulted from drowning, or from immersion in water after death from another cause, or from hypothermia and exposure during a rainstorm. If witnesses describe the latter, and there is no body of water nearby in which the body could have been immersed, then the veterinary examiner can tailor the necropsy report to emphasize the likelihood of this scenario as the cause of death. Critics of this approach suggest that the veterinary examiner may be biased to believe that witness accounts are naturally factual and thereby be misled to an incorrect cause of death. In fact, any veterinary examiner must consider all of the evidence presented (including witness accounts which may or may not be truthful) and synthesize this into the postmortem examination of the body. Only in this way can the pathologist answer the question when asked by the court “are these necropsy findings consistent with the events described by the defense or with those described by the prosecution?” Although it is common for medical examiners or coroners in some jurisdictions to begin a death investigation by visiting the death scene, this is not common practice in veterinary death investigations. Visiting the death scene can provide the pathologist with invaluable information that may be overlooked or not completely captured by the scene reports provided by law enforcement (Lew & Matshes, 2005; Touroo & Fitch, 2018). Valuable evidence may be collected from the scene at this time during which the scene is secured by law enforcement. After the scene is released by police, it may be difficult or impossible to regain lawful access to the scene to collect evidence, therefore it is essential that an investigator familiar with animal crimes is present to guide the collection of evidence relevant to the prosecution of the case. This individual may be the veterinary examiner when possible, or more commonly it may be a law enforcement officer. If the veterinary examiner does not visit the death scene, it is essential that the veterinary examiner be provided a copy of the police report with a written description of the scene and, preferably, photographs of the scene and the body in the position in which it was found.

Submission of the Body and Other Evidence

Prior to accepting and logging a case, it is advised that the submitter provide several documents to the receiving laboratory. The submitter should complete a submission form or, in the case of a clinical practice, a patient admission form. This form should include the names and addresses of any parties associated with the case, a description of the animal(s) to be examined, a description of the services requested by the examiner, and the complete history as known to the investigator with accompanying documentation as appropriate. The submitter should also sign a release form agreeing to the terms of the exam, testing, fees, subsequent communication of results, and disposition of the body and evidence after the exam. Also, both the receiving laboratory and the submitter should sign a chain of custody to document the transfer of custody of the animal(s) from the submitter to the examiner’s facility.