ABSTRACT
Decomposed and burnt remains are a routine part of forensic casework. Skeletonized remains are relatively uncommon. The forensic pathologist is most comfortable when examining well-preserved deceased bodies where injuries to the skin and soft tissues provide important information on the blunt force trauma that lead to death. As previously noted, the presence of an injury to the skin usually indicates a site of the application of trauma. The fractures that are identified by routine postmortem examination or computed tomography (CT) scanning can then be interpreted with respect to the location of the blunt force trauma.
