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which the ME has jurisdiction, and may consult on other deaths. Generally, jurisdiction is determined if

the death is suspicious or not natural, unattended (no medical provider in previous 30-120 days,
varies), hospitalized less than 24 hours, and other specific criteria. A person may be hospitalized for a

natural event (end-stage terminal illness) only few hours and would have jurisdiction; or hospitalized
two weeks from a motor vehicle collision and would have jurisdiction.

III. The Forensic Pathologist in Death Investigations

The Forensic Pathologist may be in an office (Coroner or Medical Examiner) or hospital setting, and in
private practice. A Forensic Pathologist may be available for clinical (living) patient consultations of

Serious Bodily Injury (SBI). In Criminal Defense, the Forensic Pathologist who conducted the autopsy
should be available to the defense as any other witness would be – they are not employees of, or

exclusive to, law enforcement or the prosecution. They are an independent public health and safety
office.

The Forensic Pathologist may go to the scene, in most jurisdictions a deputy responds (Medicolegal

Death Investigator - MLDI). The scene by the Forensic Pathologist may be more focused on the medical
and forensic considerations, with an MLDI conducting forensic investigative tasks. The Forensic

Pathologist will consider the scene, circumstances, decedent, and evidence – or the findings of the
MLDI. The Forensic Pathologist may conduct an autopsy – which may be a limited external

examination, partial external and/or internal examination, or full external and/or internal examination.

Most FPs will conduct the latter. A report should be generated for any autopsy. It is acceptable to
conduct limited autopsies, including toxicology only, at the discretion of the Forensic Pathologist and
based on the evidence and investigation at time of presentation.

The Forensic Pathologist will also determine the event, evidence of severity and intent, and
circumstances – including the sequence of events from onset to death.

IV. The Forensic Pathologist Findings and Opinions

The medical interpretation of injuries by the Forensic Pathologist is objective to the evidence. This
includes the general and class descriptions of the injuries, any specific and class characteristics, any

non-specific and non-class characteristics, any patterns or absence of patterns, multiple classifications
of injuries and multiple injury events, and what instruments may or may not have caused the injuries.

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