INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH RESEARCH IN MODERN INTEGRATED MEDICAL SCIENCES, ISSN 2394-8612 (P), ISSN 2394-8620 (O), Vol-2, Issue-1, Jan-Mar 201554

Case Report

“The Corpse is a silent witness that never lies”

V Narayana Rao, AMM Patnaik, MJ Naik, Ch Laxmi Kumar

Abstract: A surgical operation is attended with pain, and is for the benefit of the individual. An autopsy is free from

pain and is for the benefit of humanity. In this article an exhumed corpse is a witness to a ghastly crime that otherwise

would have gone missing. Exhumation is an amalgamation of two words (Latin); EX- out of, HUMUS- ground or earth.

Further exhumation is an authorized digging out, a buried body from a grave, which is subjected to autopsy. Autopsy

involves external and internal examination of dead body to find out the actual cause of death. It literally means death

investigation or personal inspection or to see oneself. First autopsy was said to have been performed in the year of 1559

when king Henry II suffered a fatal injury and died. After 11 days, Dr Ambroise pare a celebrated French surgeon,

dissected the body and discovered a subdural haematoma.

In the present case the body of an unidentified male individual aged around 40 years was recovered on the road in front

of commercial complex. The police made efforts to establish the identity of deceased but could not and the body was

buried. The autopsy findings revealed the truth from the silent witness – the corpus.

Key Words : Corpus delicti, Murder, Putrification.

Introduction

Corresponding author

V Narayana Rao

Professor, Dept. of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

Maharajah’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Nellimarla

Vizianagaram - 535 217, Andhra Pradesh, India.

A Medico legal autopsy is carried out in suspicious deaths

on a requisition by a police officer or a Magistrate. No

permission or consent of the relatives is necessary. The

procedure is a legal issue and is to be performed during

day time.

In contrast, Hospital autopsy is performed for academic

and clinical purposes, where permission of the relatives is

necessary. No legal issues are involved. It can be performed

at any time.

Figure 1: Digging out from grave

Objectives of a medico-legal autopsy with reference to

exhumed cases -

Identification- For any criminal or civil purpose arising

after the burial, to know the cause of death, time since

death, manner of death, identity, second autopsy, foul play4

and more specifically -

- In criminal cases – like homicide, suspected homicide

disguised as suicide or other types of death, suspicious

poisoning, due to criminal abortion and criminal

negligence.

- In civil cases- accidental death claim, insurance,

workmen’s compensation claim, professional

negligence, survivorship and inheritance claim.5

- Second Autopsy when 1st is being challenged or is

ambiguous.

Roles & Procedure for exhumation: 6

1. An executive magistrate (MRO/Thasildar/sub-

divisional magistrate and district magistrate) is the

only competent officer to order an exhumation. A

Police officer cannot order for exhumation.

2. The exhumation to be conducted by police in the

presence of magistrate and a medical officer.

3. It should preferably be performed in the morning

hours, away from public gaze. If necessary the spot

should be enclosed.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH RESEARCH IN MODERN INTEGRATED MEDICAL SCIENCES, ISSN 2394-8612 (P), ISSN 2394-8620 (O), Vol-2, Issue-1, Jan-Mar 2015 55

Figure 2: Identifying the clothes

Figure 3: Fissure fracture

Salient case findings by forensic medicine experts

(P.M.No: 231/2000, Dt:21/03/20007).

Body was found lying on the back in a decomposed and

partially skeletonised state.

No ornaments were present on the body; dressed in full

hands shirt, banian, cut drawer and no pants. There was

loss of scalp tissue, soft tissue over front of neck, left hand

and left leg.

A 24cm long Fissured fracture was present on left temporal

bone of the skull passing obliquely upwards onto left

parietal bone, vault of the skull, right posterior part of the

parietal bone the fissured fracture extended into the left

middle cranial fossa of the base of the skull. Effusion and

infiltration of the blood was identified in the periosteum

at the fracture sites of the skull. Brain matter was

decomposed with blood found in left middle cranial fossa

of the base of the skull. The stomach was found empty.

Figure 4: Ante-mortem blood clots

4. All the officers and workers should avoid the wind

side of the body to avoid inhaling toxic gases.

5. After exhumation a second inquest by the magistrate

and a postmortem by a team of doctors is to be done

on the spot.

6. All necessary soil samples and visceral samples

should be collected and bottled after observing all

formalities and precautions and the same should be

forwarded to the forensic science laboratory.

Case

The dead body of a 40 years old male was recovered from

Jagadamba junction, Visakhapatnam on the road in front

of a commercial complex.

Police made efforts to establish the identity of the deceased

but could not. There was no indication of foul play. Body

was handed over to social service organization for burial.

After a lapse of six days on 21.03.2000. A 25 yr old female

lodged a complaint that her husband had been missing

since 14.03.2000 and expressed suspicion that the

deceased person buried earlier might be her husband. A

case was registered by police vide Cr. No. 94/2000 U/S

174 Cr.P.C at II- town law and order police station.

The mandal executive Magistrate ordered for the

exhumation of the body. Conducted an inquest on the dead

body. The Professor & HOD of Forensic Medicine, AMC,

Visakhapatnam was requisitioned to be present during the

exhumation and to conduct the medico legal autopsy with

team of Doctors. The Inquest by the magistrate established

the identity of the deceased as per the woman’s statement.

From the inquest the cause of death of the deceased could

not be ascertained as the body was in state of

decomposition. No external injuries were found.

Inquest by Mandal Executive Magistrate report suggested

that the deceased was R R (Based on the apparel found on

the body) habitual pickpocker and was a chronic alcoholic,

and death could be due to excess alcohol consumption.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH RESEARCH IN MODERN INTEGRATED MEDICAL SCIENCES, ISSN 2394-8612 (P), ISSN 2394-8620 (O), Vol-2, Issue-1, Jan-Mar 201556

Discussion

On examination of the injuries found on the skull and the

scientific evidence of injury found on the skull suggests

injury to the brain. It was inferred that the deceased person

could have died soon after sustaining the head injury. The

head injury must have occurred due to application of blunt

force.

The viscera of the deceased person were submitted for

chemical analysis but no poisonous substance was detected

by the chemical examiner report file No: VSP/TOX/296/

2000 Dt. 05-06-2000 unit, Visakhapatnam.8

Forensic Medicine Experts opinion is that it was a case of

unnatural death due to head injury and the case was

investigated.

Conclusion

The study showed what seemed to be a natural death was

actually an unnatural death.

The case study also shows importance of positive

identification of a deceased person in the first instance. It

is also important that unidentified bodies be preserved for

some time to enable identification.

Media assistance may be taken for establishing the identity.

Body must be submitted to Medico legal post mortem

examination to establish to real cause of death, it will help

in putting an end to rumors or suspicious and will go a

long way in maintaining public tranquility.

The case stresses importance of positive identification of

deceased person at the first police inquest, which would

have spared the administration the troubles of a second

inquest and the trouble of exhumation.

In spite of failure on the part of the police to read the

evidence on the corpse, the same was read by the forensic

experts even in a state of advanced decomposition there

is a common saying about corpus (dead body) that “The

Corpse is silent witness who never lies”. This saying is

proved that is to be true in our case. Thus the autopsy

though painless in spite of the fact that the body was

disinterred. At the same time justice was delivered to the

individual and the humanity as a whole.

References

1. Pillay VV. Textbook of forensic medicine and

toxicology. paras medical publisher Hyderabad

2010;15.

2. Ajay kumar. Text book of forensic medicine medical

jurisprudence & toxicology. Avichal publishing

company New delhi India2014;2.

3. Cotton DWK, Cross SS. Hospital autopsy. jaypee

brothers New delhi India 1994.

4. Karmaker RN. Text book of forensic medicine &

toxicology. Academic publishers Kolkata 2007;2

5. Anil agarwal. Text book of forensic medicine &

toxicology. Avichal publishing company New delhi

India2014.

6. Apurba nandy. Principles of forensic medicine. New

central book agency west Bengal India 2010;3.

7. Narayana rao V& team. Pm: no.271/2000; burial

ground Visakhapatnam.

8. RFSL. Chemical examiner report. File no VSP/TOX/

296/2000; Dt 05-06-2000 unit: VSP.