ABSTRACT
The forensic pathologist (FP), whether working as coroner or medical examiner, is duty bound to find the truth in the circumstances, cause, and manner of death. A death scene investigator (DSI) refers to an individual trained, and preferably certified, working as an indispensable part of the medical examiner/coroner (MEC) system. All individuals of the MEC system are part of the death investigation team providing expertise about the body to law enforcement, the legal system, and the public. When working with homicides, the facts learned from examining the body at the scene and at the autopsy provide key event segments in crime scene reconstruction. An FP is a physician (MD or DO) who has specialized in pathology (the study of injury and diseases of the human body) and further subspecialized in forensic pathology. The expertise, concern, and the very focus of the FP is the body.
