Toxicology, evidence and identification
Toxicology samples, alcohol, chain of custody and identification by teeth, fingerprints and DNA.
24 pages
Topic
- Alcohol in forensic medicine: blood levels and their limitsBlood alcohol measures ethanol in blood; it helps judge intoxication but must be read with the…
- Deaths from illicit drugsIn drug deaths, the scene and toxicology usually weigh more than the body's findings, and…
- Deaths from medicinesA medicine can kill through intentional overdose, error, interaction or accident; proving it…
- Drug-facilitated sexual assault and robberyWhen someone may have been drugged in order to be assaulted or robbed, urine and blood samples…
- Identifying the dead: primary and secondary methodsA body's identity is confirmed by fingerprints, teeth or DNA; everything else (clothing…
- Interpreting postmortem drug levelsAfter death, drugs move from organs into the blood, so the level measured may not be the level…
Method
- Are the remains human, and how old are they?Before profiling bones, the expert decides whether they are human, whether they are of forensic…
- Craniofacial identification: superimposition, reconstruction, sinusesThe skull can be compared with a photograph or an old X-ray of the presumed person, or used to…
- Dental identification (forensic odontology)Teeth withstand fire and decay; comparing their dental work and features with dental records…
- DNA identification: basicsThe DNA profile of a body is compared with that of personal items or of relatives to confirm who…
- Fingerprints (lofoscopia)The ridges on the fingers are unique, do not change during life and can be classified; that is…
- Medical identifiers: implants, scars, tattoos and radiographsImplants with serial numbers, old surgery, fractures and tattoos, compared with medical records…
- The skeleton: sex, age, stature and ancestryBones allow estimates of sex, age, stature and ancestry; that profile guides the search but does…
Finding
- Bite marks and their limitsA bite mark shows that someone bit, and its saliva may give DNA, but matching the mark to a…
- Body packers and drug concealmentA person carrying packets of drugs inside the body can die if one bursts or if the packets block…
- Carbon monoxide deathsCarbon monoxide binds haemoglobin far more than oxygen does; after death it leaves cherry-red…
- Corrosives, metals, cyanide and toxic alcoholsCorrosives, metals, cyanide and toxic alcohols leave different traces; some are found only if…
- Pesticide and agricultural chemical deathsIn Colombia pesticides cause most of the poisoning deaths reported, mainly suicides; paraquat is…
- Solvent and inhalant deathsInhaling solvents, gases or aerosols can cause sudden death with hardly any findings; the scene…
Procedure
- Chain of custody (cadena de custodia) in the hospital or rural postChain of custody is the record that proves a piece of evidence is the same one that was…
- Disaster victim identificationIn a disaster with many victims, identification follows ordered phases: scene, postmortem exam…
- Forensic toxicology: which samples and howTo learn whether a substance caused or contributed to a death or a crime, the right samples are…
- The autopsy in a suspected poisoningWhen a poison is suspected, the autopsy joins the scene, the history, the body's findings and…
Law
A to Z
Educational content on forensic and legal medicine; not legal advice and no substitute for the technical guides of Colombia's National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Laws change: each page links the official text and says when it was last checked. For a real case, follow the guide in force and ask the competent authority.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.