Decedent Examination, Identification, and Property
The external examination
A systematic head-to-toe external examination records general description, clothing, medical devices, and every injury with location, size, shape, and character. Collect trace evidence, fingernail scrapings, swabs, and sexual assault kits when indicated, and note that radiographs may reveal projectiles, fractures, or implanted devices. Document what you see, not what you conclude.
Identification hierarchy
Separate presumptive from positive identification. Visual recognition, tattoos, scars, and circumstantial detail are presumptive. Positive or scientific identification relies on fingerprints, comparative dental records, DNA, antemortem radiographs, or a uniquely serialized surgical implant. In decomposed, burned, or traumatized decedents, visual identification is unreliable and can be dangerously wrong. Unidentified cases should be entered into national missing-and-unidentified databases, with consultation from a forensic odontologist or anthropologist as needed. Confirm that the death certificate and the report carry the same identity.
Property and personal effects
Inventory property at the scene and again on arrival, ideally with two persons present. Log valuables, medications, weapons, money, and documents individually; secure them; and release only against a signed receipt with photo identification. Distinguish items held for evidentiary value from items held for safekeeping. Jewelry is a classic trap: it must be inventoried before anything leaves the body.
Rule of thumb
Treat every identification as presumptive until a scientific method confirms it, and treat every item on the body as property requiring a written record.