Page 65 - 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

It is important to review all records, reports, and photographs which assist in determining how the
decedent or surviving victim identification was determined – self, official identification, scientific

identification, witnesses and other means. It is then important to review for any assessment. This will
include living or deceased, any known or indicated alcohol or other drug intoxication, any visible or

reported injuries, any reported history and physical (H&P) to include vital signs and any diagnosis. If

deceased the same will be determined, as well as body position, rigor mortis, algor mortis, and livor
mortis.

Of importance will be any indications to injuries and determining when and how these occurred – or did

not. Any person reporting assault, including rape or battery, or decedent found with these suspicions,
should be assessed for indications of defense wounds and mutual combat. This would include the hands
and feet, head and scalp, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, lips, frenulums (connecting tissue found at the

tongue, lips and gums), eyes and other specifics covered in this CFDI and prerequisite training. These are

areas easily injured and part of a standard medical assessment of living and deceased persons.

Every report by each responding personnel should have information identifying the decedent or victim,
and at a minimum their presentation when found. The more active in the investigation, the more

information to expect and look for. Responding personnel may be law enforcement, coroner, hospital and
staff, ambulance, and fire. Check all sources.

Scene Description

There are at least two scenes – the final incident where the decedent or victim was found, and the
decedent or victim. There may be more than two – if the decedent or victim were transported from one

scene to another, or different events connected together. These are discussed in more detail in the
required modules.

A living victim may provide more details of any scene they were at, and for decedent’s it is limited to

where they are found and any information about other scenes. The description of the decedent or victim
as a scene will be discussed in Identification and Assessment. Here let’s look at some of the commonalities

of all scenes, regardless of location and event.

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