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# The external examination of the body

- Procedure

Before any incision, the whole surface of the body is examined, described and photographed; in most cases it is the most important part of the autopsy.

Updated Nov 13, 2026

## Key points

- Order: imaging, clothed body, clothing and traces, naked body head to feet, then the back.
- Swabs, nail clippings and trace evidence are taken before the body is washed.
- Each injury: site measured from fixed anatomical landmarks, size, shape, colour, pattern, direction and depth.
- Injuries from medical treatment are described apart from the others.
- Photographs with a scale and the case number, first general views, then close-ups.
- Postmortem changes (lividity, rigor, cooling, decomposition) are recorded at the start: they help estimate the time since death.

## What it is

The external examination is the first stage of the medico-legal autopsy, after the body has been received with its paperwork and chain of custody. It follows a fixed order: imaging if available, the clothed body, the clothing and trace evidence, then the naked body from head to feet, front and back. The examiner records identifying features, postmortem changes and every injury, and takes the samples that would be lost by washing (swabs, nail clippings, hair). The UN Minnesota Protocol calls it, in most cases, the critically important part of the autopsy, because the injuries that explain a violent death are usually visible on the surface. When and why the autopsy is mandatory, and who performs it in Colombia, are covered on the medico-legal autopsy page.

## What to document

- Date, start and end times, place and people present.
- State of the clothing: defects, stains and how they line up with the injuries.
- General description and all identifying features (scars, tattoos, dental work, medical devices).
- Postmortem changes with their degree and distribution.
- Every injury numbered, with site, size, shape, colour, pattern, direction and depth, and whether it looks therapeutic.
- Samples and traces collected, how they were labelled and to whom they were handed.

## How it is done

- Check the identity labels and seals against the inspection record; note date, start time and who is present.
- If available, X-ray or CT the body in its bag, especially in gunshot cases, unidentified bodies and children.
- Photograph the clothed body; look for and collect trace evidence (fibres, hairs, residues, firearm discharge swabs of the hands).
- Remove the clothing without cutting through defects; describe, label and keep each garment and item of jewellery.
- Record sex, apparent age, height, weight, build, nutrition, hair and eye colour, scars, tattoos and other identifying features.
- Record postmortem changes: lividity and whether it is fixed, rigor, body temperature, decomposition, insects.
- Examine head, eyes (petechiae), ears, nose, mouth and teeth, neck, trunk, limbs, hands, nails, genitals, anus and back.
- Describe and photograph every injury, with a scale, before and after cleaning; take nail clippings and fingerprints.
- Plan the internal examination from the findings: which special techniques and which samples the case needs.

## Next step: what to do and document

- Do not wash the body or cut the clothing before collecting traces, swabs and nail clippings: the evidence is lost.
- If the injuries suggest sexual violence, examine and swab the orifices before any other handling of the area.
- Describe what is seen in neutral terms (abrasion, bruise, laceration) and leave interpretation for the conclusions.
- Separate signs of resuscitation, venepuncture or surgery from the other injuries and say so in the report.
- Keep each garment and sample under chain of custody, as Decreto 786 de 1990 requires (arts. 10–13).
- Official text checked on 2026-11-13 at funcionpublica.gov.co.

## Common mistakes

- Washing the body before taking swabs and nail clippings.
- Cutting the clothing through the holes made by a weapon or projectile.
- Measuring injuries from mobile reference points (the navel, the nipples) instead of fixed bony landmarks.
- Photographs without a scale or without the case number.
- Not examining the back, the scalp under the hair or the inside of the lips.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Why are nail clippings and swabs taken before the body is washed?

Because washing removes trace evidence such as the assailant's blood, saliva, fibres or skin cells, which may identify a suspect.

## Where should the site of an injury be measured from?

From fixed anatomical landmarks, such as the heel or the top of the head and the midline, not from mobile points like the navel or nipples.

## Why is the body imaged before it is undressed in a gunshot death?

To locate projectiles and fragments, plan their recovery and keep them under chain of custody; imaging also shows fractures and foreign objects.

## How should injuries caused by resuscitation be handled in the description?

They are described separately and labelled as therapeutic, so they are not mistaken for assault injuries.

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## Connections

## Related 8

- [The internal examination and the samples to take](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-internal-examination-and-the-samples-to-take/)
- [The medico-legal autopsy: when it is mandatory in Colombia](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-medico-legal-autopsy-when-it-is-mandatory-in-colombia/)
- [The death scene: inspección técnica a cadáver (levantamiento)](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-death-scene-inspeccion-tecnica-a-cadaver/)
- [Estimating time since death](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/estimating-time-since-death/)
- [Postmortem artefacts: what is not an injury](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/postmortem-artefacts-what-is-not-an-injury/)
- [Chain of custody (cadena de custodia) in the hospital or rural post](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/chain-of-custody-in-the-hospital-or-rural-post/)
- [Medical identifiers: implants, scars, tattoos and radiographs](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/medical-identifiers-implants-scars-tattoos-and-radiographs/)
- [Postmortem imaging and virtual autopsy](https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/postmortem-imaging-and-virtual-autopsy/)

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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.

Sources: [The Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (2016)](https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Publications/MinnesotaProtocol.pdf) (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017); [Decreto 786 de 1990: autopsias clínicas y médico-legales y viscerotomías (compilado en el Decreto 780 de 2016)](https://www.funcionpublica.gov.co/eva/gestornormativo/norma.php?i=168508) (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1990); [Disaster Victim Identification Guide, Annexure 8: Methods of identification](https://www.interpol.int/content/download/5759/file/DVI_DVI%20Guide%20Annexure%208.pdf) (INTERPOL, 2023).

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/forensic-medicine/the-external-examination-of-the-body/