Autopsy Review

Homicide or suicide? Unfortunately, law enforcement and medical examiners don’t always get it right. Too often, a rush to judgement is made by investigators and medical examiners in cases that are ruled suicide. Autopsies are completed and ruled suicide before a thorough investigation is completed. Scenes that appear to be suicide are too often ruled suicide without the support of a thorough investigation to include victimology
and psychological autopsy leaving survivors of the decedent with many unanswered questions.

Equivocal Death Investigation

(Reference: Geberth, V.J. Practical Homicide Investigation, 3rd ed., Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1996)

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"Equivocal death investigations are those inquiries that are open to interpretation. There may be two or more meanings and the case may present as a homicide or a suicide, depending upon the circumstances. The facts are purposefully vague or misleading, as in the case of a staged crime scene, or the death is suspicious or questionable based upon what is presented to the authorities. The deaths may resemble homicides or
suicides, accidents or naturals. They are open to interpretation pending further information of the facts, the victimology, and the circumstances of the event."
“Remember: Things are not always what they appear.”

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Investigation of Death
Vernon J. Geberth, formerly a New York City detective, detective supervisor, homicide commander and a world-renowned death investigation consultant and author of Practical Homicide Investigation (4th edition, CRC Press, 2006), states “Professional homicide investigators become keenly aware of the reality of death and the impact it has on our society and the surviving family. Our mission is to bring justice to the deceased and their surviving families. We do this by conducting a professional and intelligent  investigation resulting in the identification and apprehension of the killer and the successful prosecution of the case. All death inquiries should be conducted as homicide investigations until the facts prove differently. The resolution of the mode of death as suicide is based on a series of factors which eliminate homicide, accident, and natural causes of death. A determination of suicide cannot be fully made by the medical
examiner until all the facts are evaluated.”

If you are faced with the death of a loved one but disagree with the manner of death determination and feel death did not result from a suicide, Mark Gillespie can review and evaluate the case to provide an expert opinion and provide options to pursue (e.g., request the medical examiner MOD determination be reviewed and reconsidered based on his assessment of the facts; and request law enforcement to re-open the investigation).

Mark Gillespie has been successful getting medical examiners and law enforcement to review their findings resulting in changing their MOD determination and reopening death investigations. Remember, “nothing ventured…nothing gained.”

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