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- OFFICE OF THE CORONER OF YOKNAPATAWPHA
COUNTY
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- POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION REPORT
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- NAME: Schiff, Kennon
- DATE RECEIVED: September 20, 1700 hours
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- GENERAL INFORMATION:
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- A 33 year old, white male was reportedly on duty
as a Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Deputy, transporting
correctional inmates in a county vehicle when the vehicle
was involved in a collision. The man was pronounced dead
at the scene.
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- The decedent is received in a white sheet,
clothed in blue trousers, cotton briefs, a white cotton
tank-style undershirt, and blue socks.
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- GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
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- Rigor Mortis is generalized and full. The corneas
are markedly opaque and the body is cool to the
touch.
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- The body is well-developed and well-nourished.
Upper and lower extremities are normally developed and
free from apparent injuries. The scalp hair is dark
blonde and exhibits a large amount of red-brown clotted
blood. The head is symmetrical and displays several
abrasions, contusions and lacerations.
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- EVIDENCE OF INJURY:
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- *Blunt-force injuries of the head:*
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- The scalp is reflected revealing sub-galeal
contusions with associated sub-dural and sub-arachnoid
hemorrhage in the frontal and right-temporal region. The
calvarium displays several fracture lines superior to
this formation. The brain is markedly compressed with
associated gyri flattening. The basilar skull is free of
injury or fracture.
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- * Blunt-force injuries of the neck:*
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- A layer by layer dissection of the neck is
performed. The larynx and hyoid bone are intact. The
cervical spine displays evidence of hemorrhage into the
surrounding tissues. The C2 and C3 of the cervical spine
are fractured with associated incomplete dissection of
the spinal cord.
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- EVIDENCE OF THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION
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- None
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- SUMMARY OF AUTOPSY FINDINGS
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- I. Blunt-force injuries: Head; a. Scalp
contusions with associated sub-galeal and sub-arachnoid
hemorrhage in the right-temporal region. b. Marked
fracture of the calvarium, right-temporal region. c.
Cerebral compression with associated gyri
flattening.
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- Neck; a. Complete fracture of the C2 and C3
Cervical spine with associated hemorrhage into the
surrounding soft tissue. b. Incomplete dissection of the
spinal cord.
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- These findings are indicative of blunt-force
trauma such as that of a front seat passenger-driver in
an automobile accident. The force of being thrown into a
windshield or passenger window would result in
acceleration-deceleration injury, thereby causing damage
to the head and resultant "whipping" back. The cervical
injuries are indicative of severe compression of the
body's weight being distributed to the head such as might
occur when a vehicle "rolls" or when an individual is
thrown from a vehicle and lands on the head, causing
fractures of the C-spine.
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- CAUSE OF DEATH
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- Blunt-force injuries of the head and neck
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- MANNER OF DEATH
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- Vehicle accident
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