Pathologists

Roles and Responsibilities of Pathologists in a Criminal Investigation

Within a criminal investigation, mainly when an individual has been murdered, a pathologist – a medically trained individual will examine the body to attempt to establish the cause of death of an individual and to attempt to gather further more in depth information regarding how an individual died. As mentioned above a role of the pathologist in a criminal investigation involving a body will include performing Autopsies, this is done to gain information about how an individual died and information about the body leading up to their death. A pathologist will also in many cases supervise the collection of evidence from the body of a victim at the crime scene, this is to ensure that evidence is not contaminated and also so that the body is not damaged during the investigation at the crime scene. Another example of a role of a pathologist is collecting further evidence from the body, this evidence includes tissue samples, hairs or fibres found on the body and also potentially scrapings from under the fingernails of the victim which may contain the DNA of the person who killed them. A final example of a responsibility of a pathologist is to write a report regarding the findings of the autopsy, this will report will contain crucial information about how an individual died and the manner in which their death came about. This report will be used and presented in any court proceedings which occur.

Role of Pathologist in the OJ Simpson Case

Dr Irwin Golden was the pathologist in the OJ Simpson case. He was responsible for examining the bodies of Nicole and Ron at the crime scene, he was also responsible for carrying out the autopsies on the bodies to establish the full extent of the injuries sustained. This information was put into a report to be presented within court. Golden after completing the autopsies and examining the wounds on the bodies was able to determine that the attacker of Nicole and Ronald was right handed.

Role of Pathologist in other Investigations

Pathologists will only be involved in criminal investigations when the circumstances of a person’s death is unknown or suspicious. This for example is likely to be as part of murder investigations to determine how a person was killed or terrorist attacks where victims have to be identified. A pathologist’s role is to carry out the examination of bodies, or autopsies to identify how a person died or the extent of a deceased individuals injuries. A pathologist can provide the investigators with additional information about potential suspects such as if they are left or right handed depending on the way an attack was carried out.