Death Essay

Introduction

Death, also known as the end of life, is the moment at which a cell, tissue, organism, or individual comes to a final, irrevocable end. The biological functions of the cell, tissue, or organism cease when mortality takes place. Blood circulation and the heartbeat both cease when a person dies; they cannot be permanently restarted. All living things ultimately pass away because they have a limited lifespan. According to the reason, deaths can be divided into four categories: natural death, accidental death, homicide, and suicide. These categories are briefly explored below. The goal of the essay is to compare and contrast the key distinctions between murder, suicide, natural death, and accidental death.

Natural Death

Natural death is caused by circumstances that can be attributed to natural occurrences which include old age when the body stops to function on its own. The other causes are indicated by medical conditions which are incurable illnesses such as stroke, heart disease, and AIDS.

Accidental Death

Accidental death is sudden death caused by unplanned occurrences, for instance, by misadventure in which a person dies while doing something of relatively high risk such as high-risk sports, or manslaughter in which a person dies due to an act of violence that was not deliberately directed to them.

Suicide

Death by suicide is when one takes his or her life. In most cases, a person kills oneself because of extreme emotional distress caused by events in life. Examples include extreme emotions due to the loss of a dear family member, friend, or asset such as a house or car. Common means through which suicide is committed include induced excessive bleeding, drug overdose, or jumping off tall buildings or in front of moving objects like trains and vehicles.

Homicide

Homicide, on the other hand, is when one plans and kills someone. Death by homicide can be classified as either felonious or non-felonious. A felonious homicide occurs when a person who kills another person does so in circumstances in which he is guilty, by planning the act in advance before executing it. Conversely, non-felonious homicide occurs in situations that remove the perpetrator from any wrongdoing, such as when police shoot to death a person in self-defense. In comparison, natural death, accidental death, suicide, and homicide are different types of deaths that do not involve intentional violence. Natural and accidental deaths are unplanned or sudden while suicide and homicide are not.

Misinterpreted Deaths

In some cases, death can be misinterpreted as a natural death when it is either suicide or homicide. For instance, medical personnel may wrongly prescribe drugs that have medical issues such as adverse side effects that can lead to death, or when the prescription causes an overdose. Natural deaths are usually caused by illness such as cancer, heart disease, old age, or anything detrimental to the health of a person. Also, accidental deaths can mistakenly be classified as suicidal deaths. For example, someone who is cleaning a gun and accidentally shoots himself in the head, or someone who, while crossing the street, gets hit and killed by a car is not suicidal but accidental deaths. In all these types of deaths, an autopsy is done to help determine the nature of the particular death under investigation.

Investigation Procedures

On April 21, 2016, a music artist Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson died after accidentally overdosing on a drug named opioid fentanyl. Reports indicate that prior to his death; Mr. Prince occasionally used Percocet to which helped him manage pain and fatigue resulting from rigorous performances. In their investigations, police evaluated several factors including how and when Mr. Prince died, time of death, how long he had been dead, whether or not there were witnesses, and whether there were any medical conditions that may have led to the death to determine if the cause of death was homicide or suicide. Also, the police should collect detailed medical records for the victim, including any available information from interviews with his doctors.

Death case investigations involve the police, who are the first responders to the crime scene. After making initial investigations, a coroner or a forensic pathologist steps in to try and figure out when and how the person died. There are a series of questions that have to be answered by the coroner or forensic pathologists to determine what happened. They have to figure out who the person is, when the death occurred, the location of death, and how they died. They then determine whether the person was killed by murder, suicide, accident, natural, or undetermined cause. The coroner or forensic pathologist may need assistance from the police to contact persons who knew the deceased to analyze better and investigate the death. An autopsy is also done on the body to reinforce the findings of the investigation. In other types of crimes, for example, white-collar crimes, investigations do not necessarily involve the police since no response is needed to the particular scene. It may involve a limited number of investigators, and not life is at stake. Investigation procedures do not follow a particular set procedure but rather depend on the nature of a crime.

Crime Scene Investigation

The first thing a police officer does when he/she arrives at a death crime scene is to cordon it by establishing boundaries. Confer before taking any action and avoid moving recklessly within the scene. Determine the best way of entering and exiting the scene before approaching. Confer and get an escort from the accompanying officer when doing the initial skimming of the scene. Collect all fragile evidence pieces of evidence if present. Finally, take photos using an instant or digital camera to help secure the scene free from intrusion for further analysis. The overall goal is to limit intrusion or interference with the crime scene as much as possible. A good example of a successful preliminary investigation is that of Mr. Robin Williams who was found death in his house by his assistant. The investigation pointed out to suicide by suffocation since the victim had hanged himself, judging by the fact that the victim was hoisted above the floor by a belt found around his neck.

Temperature and Autopsy

The temperature can influence the medical examination or autopsy of a death investigation. Once a person dies, the body adjusts to the temperature of the surrounding environment in a process called algor mortis. The muscles initially slacken, and the joints freeze quickly or slowing relative to the amount of temperatures. Within 1 to 3 hours, the body becomes rigid and cold depending on the temperatures. The skin, on the other hand, turns colorless with time and methane builds up in the body. Depending on how cold or warm the environment is, decomposition begins due to bacteria in the body.

Conclusion

In conclusion, death can be defined as the end of life in a cell, tissue, organism, or person. It is classified into natural, accidental, homicide, and suicide deaths based on the nature of occurrence and cause of the death. When investigating the cause of death, an investigator evaluates many factors such as who the dead person is, the place of death, time, how the person died to figure out the likely type of death. An autopsy is then done to confirm or dispute the investigator’s findings.

References

Hahn, A. (2004). Possessed: The rise and fall of Prince. New York: Billboard Books.

Jentzen, J. M. (2009). Death investigation in America: Coroners, medical examiners, and the pursuit of medical certainty. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

Ralp, E., & Sara, S. (2016). Prince died of accidental overdose of opioid fentanyl, medical examiner say. Retrieved from: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/02/health/prince-death-opioid-overdose/