ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Our aim is to state the significant aspects of autopsy which is performed in order to accurately identify corpses pulled out of water and to determine the cause of death. Depending on the time spent in the water, various traumatic alterations occur on the corpses pulled out of water. Independent of the cause of death, these alterations that can be named as artifacts, don’t contribute to the determination of the cause of death but rather with the loss of evidence they induce, they greatly detriment the process of reaching a a diagnosis. As a routine, standard procedures cannot be applied to corpses that are decomposed and pulled out of water, different methods need to be followed. One of the most significant aspects is that to find out the whether the cause of death is drowning or any other reason.

Case Report:

A corpse of a male, greatly decomposed, found in the coastal region of Demirköy (Kırklareli) in January 2001, has been sent to our faculty for autopsy. It has been determined that the corpse is 178cm tall, soft tissues have been greatly decomposed except the chest-wall fully covered with fine sea sand and a small amount of skin with hair, and the skeleton has surfaced to a great extent. All the necessary examinations have been carried out on the highly decomposed corpse, the identity and the cause of death have been endeavored to be revealed by applying the method to be followed in such cases.

Conclusion:

In the case we present, the examinations executed on the corpse partially skeletonized and the tissue sample identification procedures have proven that this corpse is not the lost member of at least a family. Identification of cases beyond recegnition in the events with several deaths as a result of exhumation of mass graves, plane crashes and natural disasters etc is possible with the systematic approach of forensic medicine and in the light of its accuracy.