Medicolegal Death Investigation Subcommittee

The Medicolegal Death Investigation Subcommittee focuses on standards and guidelines related to sudden, unnatural, unexplained or suspicious deaths, including homicides, suicides, unintentional fatal injuries, drug-related deaths and other deaths that are sudden or unexpected; determination of the cause and manner of death.

Officers | Members | Standards | Discipline-Specific Baseline Documents | Research & Development Needs | Presentations

Officers

Kelly Keyes, Subcommittee Chair, Orange County (California) Sheriff-Coroner Office

Theodore Brown, Subcommittee Vice Chair, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine

DeAnna Lowe, Subcommittee Executive Secretary, Cook County Medical Examiner's Office

Members

Standards

Tier 1: On the OSAC Registry

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 007, Postmortem Impression Submission Strategy for Comprehensive Searches of Essential Automated Fingerprint Identification System Databases, First Edition, 2018 (effective September 5, 2019).
• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 010, Forensic Anthropology in Disaster Victim Identification: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority, First Edition, 2018 (effective September 5, 2019).

Tier 2: Published by a Standards Developing Organization (SDO)

• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 006, Best Practice Recommendations for DNA Analysis for Human Identification in Mass Fatality Incidents, First Edition, 2019.
• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 007, Postmortem Impression Submission Strategy for Comprehensive Searches of Essential Automated Fingerprint Identification System Databases, First Edition, 2018.
• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 009, Best Practice Recommendations for the Examination of Human Remains by Forensic Pathologists in the Disaster Victim Identification Context, First Edition, 2019.
• ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 010, Forensic Anthropology in Disaster Victim Identification: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority, First Edition, 2018.

Tier 3: Sent to an SDO

• Mass Fatality Incident Data Management: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority. 
• Mass Fatality Scene Processing: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority​.
• Organizational and Foundational Standard for Medicolegal Death Investigation. 
• Postmortem Fingerprint Recovery: Guidance and Best Practices for Disaster Victim Identification.
• Forensic Odontology in Disaster Victim Identification: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority.

Tier 4: Under Development

• Workload Limitations for Medicolegal Death Investigators.
• Technical Report: Medicolegal Death Investigation Terms and Definitions.
• Medicolegal Death Investigation Workflow and Information Requirements.
• Crime Scene/Death Investigation: Medicolegal Death Investigation Terms and Definitions.
• Mass Fatality Management: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority.
• Media Communications Following a Mass Fatality Incident: Best Practice Recommendations for Medicolegal Authority.
• Ethical Considerations in Disaster Victim Identification: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority.
• Family Management Following a Mass Fatality Incident: Victim Information Center Best Practice Recommendations for Medicolegal Authorities.
• Disaster Victim Identification Process: Best Practice Recommendations for the Medicolegal Authority.
• Best Practice Recommendations for Disaster Victim Accounting.

Discipline-Specific Baseline Documents

The Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) has provided the opportunity for OSAC subcommittees to identify baseline documents and reference materials that best reflect the current state of the practice within their respective disciplines. 

These documents contain practical information regarding these disciplines that can help forensic scientists, judges, lawyers, researchers, other interested parties and the general public, to better understand the nature, scope, and foundations of the individual disciplines as they are currently practiced.

It is important to note that the identification of these documents in this venue does not represent an endorsement by OSAC or NIST. Only documents that are posted on the OSAC Registry constitute OSAC endorsement. All copyrights for these documents are reserved by their owners. Subcommittee position statements or responses to data collections by the subcommittee represent the consensus opinion of the subcommittee, not necessarily the position of the entire OSAC organization or NIST.

• OSAC Medicolegal Death Investigation Subcommittee Recommendations for Medical Examiner/Coroner Drug-Related Death Investigations
• OSAC Medicolegal Death Investigation Subcommittee Strategy Statement for Medical Examiner/Coroner Drug-Related Death Investigations
• SWGMDI Death Investigation Systems and NAME, ABMDI, IACME Representation in States
• SWGMDI State Medical Examiner Survey
• SWGMDI Process Map - Basic Steps in Medicolegal Death Investigation
• SWGMDI Report Summary of Jurisdictional Survey

Accreditation, Certification, and Training:

• SWGMDI Comparison of NAME and the IAC&ME Accreditation Standards
• SWGMDI Minimal Educational Requirements for MDI System Personnel
• SWGMDI Certification of Medicolegal Death Investigation Personnel
•  Public Commentary on Recommendations for Certification and Training of MDI Personnel

Endorsement of External Documents:

• SWGMDI Endorsement of CDC Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Training Materials
• SWGMDI Endorsement of NIJ Death Investigation - A Guide for the Scene Investigator

Autopsy:

• SWGMDI  Medicolegal Autopsy Facility Data for the United States 2005
• SWGMDI Medicolegal Autopsy Facilities in the United States 2011
• SWGMDI Possible Study Models to Assess the Utility of Autopsy in Contentious Mediolegal Categories of Death
• Public Commentary on Possible Study Models to Assess the Utility of Autopsy in Contentious Medicolegal Categories of Death
• SWGMDI PRC 9 A Report and Recommendations for Regional Medicolegal Autopsy and Death Investigation Centers

Critical Stress Management:

• SWGMDI Principles for Critical Stress Management in MDI Settings
• Public Commentary on Principles for Critical Stress Management in MDI Settings - Critical Event Debriefing and Recommendations for Development

Supply of Forensic Pathologists:

• SWGMDI Increasing the Supply of Forensic Pathologists in the US
• NAME and CAP Response to the Draft Report on 'Increasing the Supply of Forensic Pathologists in the United States'
• Public Commentary on Increasing the Supply of Forensic Pathologists in the US

Organ and Tissue Procurement:    

• SWGMDI Standards for Interactions Between Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices and Organ and Tissue Procurement Organizations and Eye Banks
• Public Commentary on Organ and Tissue Procurement Committee Standards and Best Practices for Interactions Between Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices and Organ and Tissue Procurement - Comments Jan 6 - May 12, 2015
• Public Commentary on Organ and Tissue Procurement Committee Standards and Best Practices for Interaction Between Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices and Organ and Tissue Procurement Organizations
• Public Commentary on Organ and Tissue Procurement Committee Standards and Best Practices for Interactions Between Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices and Organ and Tissue Procurement and Eye Banks - Comments December 2012 - February 2013

Media Relations:

• SWGMDI Guidelines for Media Relations - Dissemination of Public Information in Medicolegal Death Investigations
• Public Commentary on Guidelines for Media Relations - Comment Report

Medicolegal Death Investigation Centers:

• SWGMDI Status of Perceived Need for Regional Medicolegal Death Investigation Centers
• Public Commentary on Status of and Perceived Need for Regional Medicolegal Death Investigation Centers
• SWGMDI Regional Medicolegal Autopsy and Death Investigation Centers - Construction, Staffing, and Costs

Next of Kin:

• SWGMDI Principles for Communicating with Next of Kin During Medicolegal Death Investigations
• Public Commentary on Principles for Communicating with Next of Kin During Medicolegal Death Investigations

Workplace Locations:

• SWGMDI Workplace Locations of Board Certified Forensic Pathologists in the US Who Perform Medicolegal Autopsies
• Public Commentary on Workplace Locations of Board Certified Forensic Pathologists in the US Who Perform Medicolegal Autopsies

Research:

• SWGMDI Research in Forensic Pathology Medicolegal Death Investigation
• Public Commentary on Research in a Forensic Pathology/Medicolegal Death Investigation

Pathology Departments:

• SWGMDI Relationships Between Pathology Departments and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices
• Public Commentary on Relationships between Pathology Departments and ME/Coroner Offices

Research & Development Needs

• See the research and development needs identified by the Medicolegal Death Investigation Subcommittee.

Presentations

• None currently.