BODY IN THE HOT SPRINGS CRIME SCENE SCENARIO: PART 2 You will be the primary investigator on a possible suicide / homicide / accidental death. Your role will be to examine the evidence and develop multiple different hypotheses to explain what you find. Follow the instructions at the end of the scenario IMPORTANT: You can work on this on your own or with others, however for this assignment I want each person to submit their own answers individually. The body was transported to the closest hospital (arrived at 10:00 AM, February 1st) where the local Medical Examiners would perform the autopsy This superficial autopsy was completed by 10:45 am on that date and the preliminary results of that superficial autopsy were submitted to the RCMP by 11:30 on that date (these results were summarized and presented in the previous document). Duplicate samples were taken (listed here) and sent to the Hospital Lab for preliminary analysis, and a second sample prepared for shipping to the Forensic Lab for detailed analysis. - Blood samples were taken from the Femoral Artery and Femoral Vein. Preliminary blood analysis from the Hospital lab revealed blood alcohol levels that were low (0.02 %), and there were very low levels of a suspected opiate… (positive identification yet to be determined) - Urine samples were obtained by needle puncture into the bladder. - A sample of ocular fluid was drawn (time was 10:25 AM, Feb 1st) - The underside of the fingernails were scraped - Fingerprints were obtained from the victims left and right hands - A sample of the yellow-stained skin was excised from fingers of the right hand - A cheek swab was taken - A sample of head hair was collected, along with the hair collected from the area surrounding the Puncture wound, and prepared for toxicological screening. - There was evidence of a whitish powder found lodged within the mucous membranes lining the victims nasal passages. - The whitish brown powder found in the cigarette pack was tested for opiates , amphetamines, and barbituates using a Narcotics Identification Kit …all results were negative. https://www.alternateforce.net/nik-drug-test-kit.html - The abrasion over the Zygomatic Arch was examined and samples of fibrous material, along with what was possibly paint, were collected from the wound. The area of the left cheek was exposed, revealing several recent fractures along the Zygomatic Arch. There was evidence of bleeding, vasoconstriction, platelet accumulation, and inflammation in the region - There was no evidence of frostbite on the victims exposed skin or fingers. - The tissue surrounding the single puncture wound mark was dissected, and there was evidence of bleeding and inflammation surrounding the puncture track. A sample of the tissue was collected and prepared for histological and toxicological analysis. - The occipital bone and portions of the right parietal bone were found to be severely crushed with accompanying post-mortem damage to the underlying cerebellum and occipital lobes of the brain. There was no evidence of inflammation or bleeding in the area - The posterior region of the neck was exposed and examined. The C2-C3 vertebrae of the neck were dislocated with signs of large fractures on the dorsal processes. There was evidence of recent surgical intervention into this region, with the fusing of C4-C5 vertebrae using the insertion of two titanium pins to support this fusion. Both C4 and C5 vertebrae showed evidence of mostly healed fractures along their posterior regions, including the dorsal processes. No sign of pre-mortem bleeding or inflammation were observed in this region. - The posterior surfaces of the superior region of the trunk were exposed and examined. There was evidence of severe post-mortem trauma to the muscles of the upper back, the right scapula was crushed, the right shoulder girdle was fractured, and T2-T4 ribs were dislocated and fractured. No sign of pre-mortem bleeding or inflammation were observed in this region. Internal Thoracic examination: all organs within the Thoracic cavity were removed, weighed, measured, and sectioned according to normal autopsy procedures. Duplicate Tissue samples were taken as indicated below and prepared for both preliminary analysis at the Hospital lab, and for shipment to the Forensic Lab for further analysis.. The heart was sectioned in order to examine the heart valves, the heart muscle, and to check for any plaque within the main blood vessels. - The heart muscle tissue appeared unusually soft and the colour was patchy in appearance…i.e. generally very pale red in colour with regions of dark reddish / blue tissue. There were areas of microhemorrhages throughout the thickness of the cardiac muscle. The cardiac muscle in the interior of the heart ventricles showed evidence of severe micro-hemorrhages and inflammation. Tissue samples were obtained for further histological and chemical analysis. - The coronary arteries were severely constricted, and there were several regions along the length of the main coronary arteries that were in total spasm. The Cardiac muscle surrounding these areas showed evidence of severe tissue damage and inflammation, likely associated with hypoxia resulting from decreased coronary blood flow. Microscopic analysis revealed the accumulation of white blood cells and the formation of blood clots in these areas. Tissue samples were collected for histological and chemical analysis. - The heart valves appeared to be thin and necrotic. The Bicuspid valve, between the Left Ventricle and the Aorta, showed signs of leakage due to a damage to the valve itself. The lungs were weighed, sectioned and visually examined. Duplicate tissue sample were taken for preliminary histological analysis in the hospital lab, and for shipment to the Forensic Lab for further analysis - There was water in the trachea and main bronchi of the lungs, but not in the smaller bronchioles or alveoli. This water was collected and prepared for shipping to the lab for microscopic and chemical analysis. Microscopic analysis of this water revealed several species of diatoms. - The lungs did exhibit evidence of significant, chronic smoking damage, including the thick accumulation of black tarry materials within the bronchioles and alveoli. Samples of the lung tissue were collected and prepared for histological analysis as well as for lab analysis. - There was no evidence of acute trauma to the lung tissue. There was no evidence of Tardieau spots within the lung tissue or blood within the fluids and froth found within the bronchi. Blood samples were drawn from the Pulmonary Artery, and the Pulmonary Vein and prepared for microscopic analysis. A preliminary hematocrit showed no evidence of hemolysis in either sample, Internal Abdominal Examination : all organs within the Abdominal cavity were removed, weighed, measured, and sectioned according to normal autopsy procedures. . Duplicate Tissue samples were taken as indicated below and prepared for both preliminary analysis at the Hospital lab, and for shipment to the Forensic Lab for further analysis.. - The liver and other organs appeared healthy and normal with no evidence of cirrhosis. Tissue samples were collected and prepared for histological analysis - There was evidence of food (hamburger, fries, beer) within the stomach. Judging by the state of digestion, this food was consumed during the last 30 minutes before death. This was collected and prepared for shipping to the Forensic lab for analysis. OK…enough already. As you can see, there is still no clear evidence related to Cause and Manner of Death for this individual. For this portion of the assignment, you will be thinking about how some of these samples will be analyzed once they get to the lab. The idea of this Part 2 is to get you thinking about Organic vs Inorganic molecules and the different approaches that can be taken for their analysis. You are not required to go outside of the tests and techniques that we have covered in this course in order to answer these questions… however if you are a student in the sciences and wish to expand into the different tests that you know more about, feel free to do so. You will find an ‘assignment’ posted within the Blackboard site that you can fill in on-line. IMPORTANT: You can work on this on your own or with others, however for this assignment I want each person to submit their own answers individually. The sections will be as follows 1) Describe what test(s) or analytical technique(s) you would suggest for identifying the possible opiates within the blood. Describe the underlying principle for the test(s) or technique(s) that you have selected and why you would select this technique for this purpose. 2) Describe what test(s) or analytical technique(s) you would suggest for determining whether the water found in the victims lungs matched the water from this Hot Springs, or whether it came from some other source. Describe the underlying principle for the test(s) or technique(s) that you have selected and why you would select this technique for this purpose. 3) Describe what test(s) or technique(s) you would suggest for analyzing the brownish-white powder that you found in the cigarette package. Briefly describe the underlying principle for the test(s) or technique(s) that you have selected and why you would select this technique(s) for this purpose. 4) Now comes the fun bit….with the information that you have been supplied by the Medical Examiner so far, revisit your previous submission and see if this information supports or refutes your hypotheses. Develop two new hypotheses that may fit more closely with the information, and show how the results that you will obtain from the tissue samples or other material that was sent to the Forensic Lab will help you to address the validity of your new hypotheses