Page 104 - CFDI Guide

Certified Forensic Death Investigator (CFDI) Program
Dean A. Beers, CLI, CCDI, CFDI-Expert and Karen S. Beers, BSW, CCDI, CFDI-SME
Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC
Criminal Defense Investigation Training Council (CDITC) Accredited

precede the violence. Certain acts may have preceded these – such as arguing, breaking and entering,
intoxication influenced, etc. The full circumstances pre-incident to post-incident should be investigated

and concluded prior to the presentation of charges against a defendant.

The case investigation is heavily reliant on scene and decedent or victim assessment, and autopsy.

Photographs, Video and Audio Evidence
Like blunt and sharp force injuries, the accurate and thorough documentation of all evidence – from the

decedent and scene location, to instruments found, as well as the scene surroundings, is important. This

includes at autopsy. All injuries and absence of injuries should be photographed in context with the
decedent and incident scenes are of absolute importance.

Persons may go from sitting down to arguing, then to hands on mutual combat before the act of manual

choking or use of a ligature – as an act of aggression or self-preservation.

Evidence and Disposition
As with all investigations, the evidence law enforcement documents and collects is important and varied.

In asphyxiation, most often strangulation, the preservation of instruments – from hard surface, such as
batons, to ropes or similar, should be preserved as found. For strangulation with a rope or similar still on

the decedent, this should be left as is and transported for autopsy and the forensic pathologist to examine.
If suspended from a fixture, such as a rafter, ceiling, doorknob, etc. – cutting (not untying) away from any

knot and then taping the ends and marking them for location is preferred.

Summary and Case Disposition
Specific information from any case summary, including search and arrest affidavits, will include the

scenario scene detectives have developed. The CFDI will review and analyze the evidence in general and
specific to the type of asphyxia death – from a motor vehicle collision to drowning, and suffocating with a

pillow to manually choking, and hanging strangulation to handheld ligature. The full scene and decedent
assessment and evidence to explore any plausibility of the official findings, and any alternatives the

evidence provides and supports. This will include instruments, visible injuries or indications of injuries,
absence of injuries, neck furrows or handprints, and any contextual information of the incident and

decedent scenes.

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