Citation

Abiragi M, Bauler LD, Brown T. J. Forensic Sci. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Pathology, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, 1000 Oakland Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49008-8022.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.14266

PMID

31895974

Abstract

The majority of opioid-related deaths are accidental. However, the number of opioid-related suicidal deaths is likely under recognized. Presented here is a case of suicide by heroin overdose. The manner of death would have likely been deemed accidental if not for critical information shared by the decedent's family during follow-up telephone interviews between the forensic pathologist and the decedent's family, which included text messages that were sent by the decedent just before his death that were not known at the time of the initial medicolegal death scene investigation. This case highlights that when a forensic pathologist establishes an engaged relationship with the decedent's family, the information elucidated can prove to be invaluable in reaching an informed opinion about the manner of death. For overdose cases, identifying an accurate manner of death allows the design of public health efforts that adequately address the health risks in the community. For aid in the determination of the manner of death for overdose cases, we propose a five-step checklist that may assist forensic pathologists and medicolegal death investigators when approaching similar cases.

© 2020 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

autopsy; forensic pathology; heroin; manner of death; opioid overdose; opioid-related death; suicide