Death Investigations for Private Investigators

course description

This death investigation course is a basic introduction into the concepts of the official investigation of death, such as by a coroner or medical examiner office, and the role that the private investigator may play in an equivocal death investigation. As might be expected, there are similar roles, overlapping roles and, of course different roles and responsibilities.

This course is designed to provide the investigator currently working in, or interested in working in, the death and personal injury investigation fields the knowledge and insight to informatively and intelligently conduct a criminal defense or civil investigation in which serious bodily injury or death is the subject matter of the litigation.

This course is approved for 14 hours of instruction in Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa; 12 hours in Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky; 7 hours in Louisiana; 8 hours in Kansas; 10 hours in Oregon and South Carolina; 6 hours in North Carolina; 4 hours in New Mexico. An exam will be administered upon the conclusion of the program. If the candidate passes with a score of 75% or better, a certificate of completion will be issued in accordance with state licensing authority standards.

This CE program has been approved by the Louisiana State Board of Private Investigator Examiners on 3-1-2011 and is valid for one year from this date for SEVEN (7) HOURS OF CE CREDIT. With the purchase of this course you will receive the mandated LSBPIE Ethics course (1 CEU Hour) for free. When you have completed this course you will then be able to register yourself for the free LSBPIE Ethics Course.

the authors

Death Investigation for the Private Investigator was written by Dean and Karen Beers of Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC. Together they have over 30 years of legal investigative experience and a combined official death investigation experience of over nine years at a busy and unique coroner/medical examiner’s office.

Dean is the only Board Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) in northern Colorado. Dean and Karen are both Certified Criminal Defense Investigators, and are also certified in Medicolegal Death Investigations specializing in all Personal Injury, Negligence and Death investigations in the Civil, Criminal and Probate litigation. Their specialty is in the area of Equivocal Death Investigation – being the voice for those that can no longer speak for themselves.

Dean has consulting extensively and nationally as an Expert, including in Private Investigations, Forensic Investigations and Pattern Injury Analysis. Karen uses her education and experience with victim advocacy and counseling as valuable assets in working with families and victims of traumatic events. They use a multi-disciplined team approach, working with a forensic pathologist and forensic toxicologist. 

Dean and Karen also support investigators who take this course through a self-moderated group of persons that have purchased or plan to purchase the continuing education course 'Medicolegal Death Investigations for Private Investigators' from www.PIeducation.com. Group discussions will feature methods, protocols and the shares advice and experiences associated with Medicolegal Death Investigation for Private Investigators.

To learn more about this group, please visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MedicoLegalDeathInvestigations/ 

*Warning this course contains some graphic material and photographs 

program outline

Medico-Legal Death Investigations for Private Investigators

Death Investigations

• Introduction
• An Overview of Death Investigation
• What is Death?
• Cause and Manner of Death
• What is the Role of the Private Investigator in Equivocal Death Investigations?
• The Investigative Protocol
• Prepare
• Inquire
• Analyze
• Document
• Report
• What is ‘Death Investigation?’
• The Coroner System vs. the Medical Examiner System
• Are All Deaths Autopsied or Only Coroner Cases, and What Determines an Autopsy?
• If it is Not a Coroner’s Case and/or Autopsied – Should it still be independently reviewed?
• What Are the Roles in Official Death Investigations?
• The Duties and Responsibilities of the Coroner or ME in the Official Death Investigation
• Scene Investigation
• Evidence
• Decedent Investigation
• Other Investigative Considerations
• Time of Death
• Involved Persons and Witnesses
• Interaction with Official Agencies
• Next-of-Kin, Familial and Inter/Intra-Personal Relationships
• History of Decedent
• Medical History
• Social History
• Forensic Autopsy
• Decedent Descriptions and Clothing
• Evidence of Medical Intervention
• Medical History and Records
• Gross Autopsy Findings – External Examination
• Gross Autopsy Findings – Internal Examination
• Microscopy and Histopathology
• Toxicology
• Mechanisms of Death and Injury Causation
• Death Certificates
• Death Investigation and Personal Injury / Causation
• Wound Significance
• Wound Interpretation
• Autopsy Findings, Scene and Circumstances
• What is the Role of the Private Sector Death Investigator?
• Forensic and Other Experts
• Report of Investigative Findings

Appendices

• APPENDIX A - Examples of Cause of Death Statements on Death Certificates
• APPENDIX B - Incident Scene Investigation Protocol
• APPENDIX C - HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• APPENDIX D - HIPAA Compliant Records Releases
• APPENDIX E - Documents to Request
• APPENDIX F - Definitions Common to Death Investigation
• APPENDIX G - Definitions Common to Autopsies and Reports
• APPENDIX H - Common Acronyms to Death Investigation
• APPENDIX I - Common Body Diagram (male)
• APPENDIX K - Signs of Common Medical Interventions

Comprehensive Review

Final Examination



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