Medicolegal Death Investigation   

Build a strong foundation in medicolegal death investigation through series. Designed for death investigators, law enforcement, first responders, healthcare professionals, and others involved in death investigations, the course explores the scientific, legal, and investigative principles used to determine cause and manner of death. Through real-world case examples, you'll gain practical knowledge of investigation procedures, documentation, evidence preservation, and the vital role medicolegal death investigators play in serving the justice system, families, and the community. Students can take the whole series or take each class individually. Please click the links below to learn more about each individual session.

Session 1: Medical Examiner vs Coroner & Time of Death/Postmortem Changes 

Session 2: Sharp and Blunt Force Injuries & Asphyxiation and SUID Deaths 

Session 3: Basic Toxicology & Photography and Evidence Collection 

Session 4: Next of Kin, ID, Death Notification & Death Certificates 

Ready to continue the series? You can enroll in this class for just $99. Simply use the promo code DISCOUNT-30 at checkout, and your discounted price will be applied automatically.

This session will cover two topics:

1. Medical Examiner vs Coroner: A general overview of the 2 death investigator systems regarding who has jurisdiction and general responsibilities.                                                             
2. Time of Death and Postmortem Changes: As the body goes through changes, understanding actual time of death is a scientific and investigative process that we try to narrow down as much as possible. This section will cover the general decomposition changes and their timeline that a body will go through after death.

This session will cover two topics: 

1. Sharp and Blunt Force Injuries: Understanding injuries to include when the injury occurred, and if it is related to the death is vital to an accurate COD/MOD. This section will cover what to look for on the body to tell if a possible instrument was used to create the injury, and if it was, where was the initial impact site and what was the direction of travel.
2. Asphyxiation and SUID Deaths : Asphyxiation can happen in numerous ways. We will discuss the difference methods of asphyxiation and what physical characteristics to look for regarding manner of death

This session will cover two topics:

1. Basic Toxicology: There are different panels of toxicology that are used to understand what was in the decedent’s system around the time of death. This section will help understand what common tests are done and how to interpret those results.
2. Photography and Evidence Collection : Documentation is key in any investigation. We will cover how to appropriately document evidence and how to collect it so that nothing is compromised.

ACC Online Course (a Zoom link will be provided)

This book is not required for the course but is strongly recommended as a supplemental resource. Medicolegal Death Investigator: a systematic training program for the professional death investigator, click on the link provided to access the book online. 

**Content Warning: This series contains graphic images and discussions that some participants may find distressing. Please consider your own comfort level with this type of content before enrolling.