SPECIAL CRIME

INVESTIGATION
CDI 2
 This is the investigation of
cases that are unique and often
require special training to fully
understand their broad
significance. Homicide, robbery,
rape & sexual offenses,
kidnapping, carnapping, bomb
threat & explosion, illegal-
recruitment, and terrorist
activities are examples of cases
that call for special crime
investigation
Forensic Medicine - a branch of
medical science which deals on
the application of medical
knowledge to elucidate legal
problems arising in courts.
Medical Jurisprudence - A branch
of law which dealt on the
organization and regulation of
medical profession to promote
justice. It denotes the knowledge
of law in relation to the practice
of medicine.
Examiner/ Medico- Legal Officer/
Medico - Legal Expert - A
physician who specializes or is
involved primarily with medico-
legal duties. To be involved in
medico- legal duties, a
physician must possess
sufficient knowledge of
pathology, surgery, gynecology,
toxicology and such other
branches of medicine germane
to the issues involved.
 ORDINARY MEDICAL JURISTS
PHYSICIAN
Point of view of Point of view of cause
treatment • The purpose is to
include bodily lesions
• The purpose is to in his reports and
arrive at a definite testify before the
diagnosis so that court or before an
appropriate investigative body,
treatment can be thus giving justice to
whom it is due.
instituted. • Must record all bodily
• Minor or trivial injuries even if they
injuries are usually are small or minor,
ignored because these injuries
MEDICINE
In Worldwide Scale:
1. Imhotep (2980 B. C) - The Earliest
Recorded- Legal Expert
[Link] of Hammurabi - the oldest code
law (2200 B.C) included legislation on
adultery, rape, divorce, incest,
abortion and violence.
3. Hippocrates - discussed the lethality
of wounds
[Link] - fixed animation of fetus at
the 40th day after conception
5. The Chinese Materia Medica (300 B.C)
MEDICINE
6. Numa Pompilius in Rome - That bodies of
all women dying during confinement should
immediately be open inorder to save the
child’s life was promulgated
7. Antistius - the first police surgeon or
forensic Pathologist
8. Justinian (483- 565 B. C) - he mentioned
that a physician is not an ordinary witness
and that a physician gives judgment rather
than testimony. This led to the recognition
of expert witness in court
9. Constituto Criminalis Carolina - first text
book in Legal medicine which was
promulgated in 1532 during the reign of
Emperor Charles V in German
MEDICINE
[Link] Innocent III (1209) - issued an edict
providing for the appointment of doctors
to the courts for the determination of the
nature of wounds.
[Link] Gregory IX - in 1234 caused the
preparation of Nova Compilatio
Decretalium. Concerned medical
evidence, marriage, nullity, impotence,
delivery, caesarian section, legitimacy,
sexual offenses, crime against persons
and witchcraft
[Link] Yuan Lu (Instructions to Coroner) - In
China, this book was published. It is a five
volume book dealing within quest,
MEDICINE
[Link] John XXII- expressed the need of
experts in the ecclesiastical courts in the
diagnosis of leprosy and medico- legal
documents
[Link] Pare- considered legal
medicine as a separate discipline and he
discussed in his book, abortion,
infanticide, death by lightning, hanging,
drowning, feign diseases, distinction
between ante-mortem and post-mortem
wound and poisoning by carbon monoxide
and by corrosives.
[Link] Zacchias- a papal physician,
regarded as the “Father of Forensic
MEDICINE

[Link] Pineau- published in Paris

a work on virginity and defloration.
He confirmed the existence of the
hymen and that it may not rupture
during sexual intercourse.
[Link] Orfila (Traite’ des
Poison)- introduced chemical
methods in Toxicology. Considered
as the Founder of Modern
Toxicology
MEDICINE
IN THE PHILIPPINES
1. In 1858, the first medical textbook
printed including pertinent
instructions related to medico-legal
practice by Spanish Physician, Dr.
Rafael Genard y Mas Chief Army
Physician, entitled “Manual de
Medicina Domestica.”
2. On March 31, 1876- by virtue of the
Royal Decree No. 188, of the King of
Spain, the position of “Medico
Titulares” was created and made in
MEDICINE

IN THE PHILIPPINES

3. In remote places where the

services of a registered
physician was not available,
a “Cirujano Ministrante”
may perform medico-legal
work. (by virtue of Republic
Act no. 1982 this was
MEDICAL EVIDENCE

“Physical evidence
cannot be wrong; only
its interpretation can err.
Only human failure to
find it, study and
understand it can
MEDICAL EVIDENCE
It is the species of
proof, or probative
matter, legally presented
at the trial of an issue by
the act of the parties
and through the medium
of witnesses, records,
documents, concrete
TYPES OF MEDICAL
EVIDENCE
TYPES OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE
1. Autoptic or Real Evidence - An evidence made known or
addressed to the senses of the court.
Limitations to the presentation of Autoptic Evidence
a. Indecency and Impropriety
b. Repulsive Objects and those Offensive to Sensibilities

2. Testimonial Evidence - A physician may be commanded to

appear before a court to give his testimony.
a. Ordinary Witness
i. A physician who testifies in court on matters he perceived
from his patient in the course of physician- patient
relationship is considered as an ordinary witness.

b. Expert Witness
i. A physician on account of his training and experience can
give his opinion on a set of medical facts. He can deduce
or infer something, determine the cause of death, or
render opinion pertinent to the issue and medical in
nature.
TYPES OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE
3. Experimental Evidence
A medical witness may be allowed by the
court to confirm his allegation or as a corroborated
proof to an opinion he previously stated.
4. Documentary Evidence
A document is an instrument on which is
recorded by means of letters, figures, or marks
intended to be used for the purpose of recording
that matter which may be evidentially used.
5. Physical Evidence
These are articles and materials which are
found in connection with the investigation and
which aid in establishing the identity of the
perpetrator or the circumstances under which the
crime was committed, or in general assist in the
DIFFERENT TYPES
OF PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

1. Corpus Delicti - Objects or

substances which may be a part
of the body of the crime.
2. Associative Evidence- These
are physical evidences which
link a suspect to the crime
3. Tracing Evidence- These are
physical evidences which may
assist the investigator in
METHODS OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES
1. Photographs, audio and/ or video tape,
micro- film, photostat, xerox, voice
tracing.
2. Sketching- If no scientific apparatus
to preserve evidence is available then a
rough drawing of the scene or object to
be preserve is done. It must be simple,
identifying significant items and with
exact measurement.
3. Description- This is putting into words
the person or thing to be preserved.
METHODS OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES
5. Preservation in the mind of the
witness- A person who perceived
something relevant for proper
adjudication of a case may be a witness
in court if he has the power to transmit
to others what he perceived. He would
just have to make a recital of his
collection
6. Special Methods
 Whole Human body- embalming
 Soft tissue
 Blood- refrigeration, sealed bottle container,
KINDS OF EVIDENCE NECESSARY FOR CONVICTION

1. DIRECT EVIDENCE
 That which proves the fact in
dispute without the aid of any
inference or presumption. The
evidence presented
corresponds to the precise or
actual point at issue.
2. CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE
 The proof of fact/s from which,
taken either singly or
collectively, the existence of a
HOMICIDE
INVESTIGATION
 HOMICIDE
INVESTIGATION
• Homicide - is a generic term of a crime involving
death of a victim. The unlawful killing of a person
which are neither parricide, murder nor infanticide and
the killing is not attended by a circumstance under Art.
248 shall be deemed guilty of homicide and be
punished by reclusion temporal.
 Elements:
1. That the person was killed;
2. That the accused killed without any justifying
circumstances;
3. That the accused had the intention to kill, which
is presumed;
4. That the killing was not attended by any of the
qualifying circumstances of murder, or by that of
the parricide or infanticide.
 HOMICIDE
INVESTIGATION
• MURDER (under Art. 248 of RPC Book 2) -The
unlawful killing of any person which is not
parricide or infanticide provided that any of the
following circumstances enumerated under Art.
248 are present:
 Elements of Murder:
1. That a person was killed;
2. That the accused killed him;
3. That the killing was attended by any of the
qualifying circumstances mentioned in Art.
248;
4. That the killing is not parricide or infanticide
 shall be punished by Reclusion temporal
in its maximum period to death
Circumstances present to constitute the
act of killing a murder:

a. With treachery, taking advantage of superior

strength, with the aid of armed men, or
employing means to weaken the defense or
of means or persons to insure or afford
impunity
b. In consideration of a price, reward, or
promise.
c. By means of inundation, fire, poison,
explosion, shipwreck, stranding of a vessel,
derailment or assault upon a street car or
locomotive, fall of an airship, by means of
motor vehicles, or with the use of any other
means involving great waste and ruin.
Circumstances present to constitute the
act of killing a murder:
d. On occasion of any of the calamities
enumerated in the preceding
paragraph, or of an earthquake,
eruption of a volcano, destructive
cyclone, epidemic or other public
calamity.
e. With evident premeditation.
f. With cruelty, by deliberately and
inhumanly augmenting the suffering
of the victim, or outraging or scoffing
at his person or corpse.
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

• PARRICIDE (Art. 246) -Any person

who shall kill his father, mother, or child,
whether legitimate or illegitimate, or any of
his ascendants,(must be legitimate) or
descendants, (must be legitimate) or his
spouse, shall be guilty of parricide and shall
be punished of Reclusion Perpetua to Death.
 Elements:
1. That a person is killed;
2. That the deceased is killed by the accused
3. That the deceased is the father, mother, or
child, whether legitimate or illegitimate, or, or
a legitimate other ascendant or other
descendant, or the legitimate spouses, of the
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

• INFANTICIDE (Art. 255) -The

killing of any child less than three days
old, whether the killer is the parent or
grandparent, any other relative of the
child, or a stranger.

 Elements:
1. That the child was killed.
2. That the deceased child
was less than 3 days of
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

• Essential elements of
Parricide
1. Relationship of the offender with the
victim is the essential element of this
crime
2. The relationship with the other
ascendant or descendant
(grandfather or grandson) must be
legitimate. The spouse that has been
killed must be the legitimate wife or
husband. But the father, mother or
 SPECIALIZED CRIME
INVESTIGATION
An investigation that focuses
on specific crimes which by
their nature are difficult and
complex to investigate.
It also deals with the major
crimes; application of special
investigative techniques.
Emphasizes PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE than extrajudicial
 PHASES OF SPECIAL CRIME INVESTIGATION

1. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION – is the

foundation process for the case.
 This investigation or action is taken by the first
responder.

 DETAILED SEARCH:
◦ Warm Search – search begins immediately and
suspect is possibly gone/is still present in the
crime scene.
The search is done in general vicinity of the crime scene.
◦ Hot Search – search begins in immediate
manner right after the commission of the crime
and suspect may be present at the crime scene.
◦ Cold Search - search for the commission of a
crime over a lapse of time.
 PHASES OF SPECIAL CRIME INVESTIGATION

II. IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION – is

the re-examination of all leads
secured during the preliminary
investigation.

III. FINAL INVESTIGATION -

summarizes all the stages of the
investigation process.
 Filing of complaint to the
office of the prosecutor
 CRIMES UNDER SPECIAL CRIME
INVESTIGATION
 Homicide
 Sex Crime
 Robbery (Theft and Carnapping)
 Arson
 Swindling or Estafa
 Bank Frauds (BP22, Forgery, Counterfeiting)
 Kidnapping
 Bombing
 Falsification of Documents
 Narcotics Control Investigation
 Narcotics Death Investigation
 Hit and Run Cases
 HOMICIDE
INVESTIGATION
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION
It is the official inquiry
made by the police on the
facts and circumstances
surrounding the death of the
person which is expected to
be criminal or unlawful.
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION

3 Bridges in the homicide

investigation which shall not be
crossed:
Body has been removed
Cadaver has been embalmed
Dead person is burned or
cremated.
 HOMICIDE UNIT
is primarily a daytime
investigations unit with
detectives available for call-out
24hrs a day.
It is the office who handles the
cases of homicide.
It consist of 8 investigators on
call 24/7.
Interact constantly with office of
the prosecutor, crime laboratory,
 HOMICIDE
INVESTIGATION
PROCEDURES
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION PROCEDURES

Criminal investigation of
homicide is a discovery process.
The investigator seeks to discover
and document such facts as type
of death, identity of the deceased,
cause of death and motivation and
identity of the perpetrator. In
order to resolve these
fundamental questions, the
investigation will focus on the
cadaver, crime scene and post
Establishing the Facts of Death
The first essential step of
the homicide investigation is
to establish that the victim is
indeed, dead. Police officers
do not have the legal
authority to pronounce death,
only physicians/ medical
doctor can establish the fact
of death. For this reason, the
 AUTOPSY
is an examination of the
body of a deceased
individual to determine the
cause of death or learn
other information about the
manner of death.
Is the comprehensive study
of dead body.
 Kinds of Autopsy
a. Hospital or Non-official Autopsy –
is performed in the hospital, by the
pathologist, based on the consent of
the deceased's next of kin in order to
find and better understand the causes
of death.
b. Medico-legal or Official Autopsy - is
performed in case of suspicious,
violent or unknown cause of death.
 Is the recovering, identifying, and
preserving evidentiary material for the
purpose of investigation.
 Person or Cadaver Subject for
Autopsy
Violent Death
Accidental Death
Suicidal Death
Unnatural Death
Natural Death
Dead On Arrival
If the death is uncertain
POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION

Is a procedure conducted after

the death of an individual
under suspicious and unusual
circumstance pointing towards
an unnatural reason of death or
involvement of another person
in the death of such individual.
Stages of Postmortem
examination:
[Link] Examination
a. Examination of the surroundings
b. Examination of the clothing
c. Identity of the body

[Link] Examination
a. Examination of the body surface
b. Determination of the position
and approximate time of death.
 AUTOPSY vs. POSTMORTEM
EXAMINATION

Autopsy – is the internal

examination of the body.
Postmortem
Examination – is the
external examination of
the dead body.
 HOMICIDAL DEATH VS. SUICIDAL
DEATH
Homicidal Death Suicidal Death
• Disturbance of Crime • No Disturbance
Scene
• Signs of struggle • No signs of struggle
• Presence of defense • No defense wound
wound
• Gunshot wound is in • Gunshot wound is in
the inaccessible part the accessible part of
of the victim the victim
• Morethan one (1) • One gunshot wound
gunshot wound
• Firearm is not found • Firearm is in
on the victim possession of the
victim
• Presence of suicidal
DEATH
Establishing the Facts of Death

DEATH - this is the

termination of life. It is the
complete cessation of all the
vital functions without
possibility of resuscitation. It
is an irreversible loss of the
properties of living matter.
DYING - This is a continuing
process while death is an
KINDS OF DEATH
1. Somatic Death or Clinical Death - This
is the state of the body in which there
is complete, persistent and continuous
cessation of the vital functions of the
brain, heart and lungs which maintain
life and health.
2. Molecular Death- After cessation of the
vital functions of the body there is still
animal life among individual cells.
About three to six hours later, there is
death of individual cells. It occurs one
at a time after somatic death.
3. Apparent Death or State of Suspended
 Signs of Presumptive
Death

1. Cessation of breathing or
respiratory movement.
2. Cessation of the heart
sound
3. Cooling of the body.
Ways of detecting death
1. CESSATION OF RESPIRATION
Observance of upward and onward
movement of chest.
Palpitation of respiratory movement.
By auscultation – the action of listening
to sounds from the heart, lungs, or
other organs, typically with a
stethoscope, as a part of medical
diagnosis.
Mirror Test
Feather/Fiber Test/Cotton Test
Winslow Test – putting glass/bowl of
II. CESSATION OF HEART
ACTION AND CIRCULATION

Palpitation of pulse and

heart beat.
Auscultation
Fluoroscopic Examination
Electrocardiography
METHODS TO DETECT CESSATION OF HEART
ACTION AND CIRCULATION

PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION
1. Magnus Test (Ligature) -tying a string
around one of the finger with a
pressure just above venous pressure
and below pressure in arteries. If the
circulation is maintained finger distal
to ligature would swell.
 One of the most reliable test for detecting
cessation of heart/blood circulation.
2. Palpitation of radial pulse, carotid
pulse, femoral pulse.
METHODS TO DETECT CESSATION OF HEART
ACTION AND CIRCULATION

PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION
3. I Card’s Test - it consists of
subcutaneous injection of a
compound(fluorescin with sodium
bicarbonate).
 Fluorescein dye on being injected at a given
site in a dead body fail to produce yellowish-
green discoloration in a dead body.
4. Finger Web Test – is the use of light
or flashlight particularly at the palm
to see a presence of blood flow.
 [Link] MORTIS
After death the metabolic process inside
the body ceases. No more heat is
produced but the body loses slowly its
temperature by evaporation or by
conduction to the surrounding
atmosphere. The progressive fall of the
body temperature is one of the most
prominent signs of death
It is the cessation of the heat production
of the body after death.
is considered as the earliest sign of
death.
ALGOR MORTIS

POST MORTEM
CALORICITY
Is the increase of
temperature due to fast,
early putrefactive and
chemical changes in the
body.
Occurs or can be
IV. LIVOR MORTIS
 Is the discoloration of the body that
occurs on those parts of the body
which are nearest the floor. This
discoloration is caused by the
settling of the blood by gravity into
those areas.
is a passive process of blood
accumulating within the blood
vessels in the dependent parts of the
body as a result of gravity, causing a
discoloration of the skin that varies
from pink to dark purplish.
IV. LIVOR MORTIS
 TWO KINDS OF LIVOR
MORTIS
Hypostatic Lividity – it is
the lividity when the
discoloration is due to the
blood pooled in the most
dependent areas of the body.
Diffusion Lividity – is a
fixed discoloration when the
blood clotted inside the blood
vessels or has diffused to
 LIVOR MORTIS

MARBLING
 It is where blood vessels
are visible on the skin as
greenish-black streaks
and eventually results in
skin discoloration ranging
from green to black.
Also known as:
MARBLING
 STAGES OF MUSCULAR CHANGES IN A DEAD
BODY
1. Stages of Primary Flaccidity – Is the general
relaxation of the entire muscular system and loss
of their natural tone after death.
> Usually only last between two (2) to eight (8)
hours.

2. Stage of Post Mortem Rigidity

> a postmortem change resulting in the stiffening
of the body muscles due to chemical changes
in their myofibrils. Rigor mortis helps in
estimating the time since death as well to
ascertain if the body had been moved after
death.
> It is the stages where the whole body becomes
rigid due to contraction of muscles.
RIGOR MORTIS
 CONDITIONS SIMULATING RIGOR
MORTIS
Heat Stiffening – is the hardening
of muscle due to extreme heat.
Cold Stiffening – is the hardening
of the muscle due to extreme
cold temperature.
Cadaveric Spasm or
Spontaneous Rigidity – is the
instant stiffening of a certain
groups of muscle after death due
to injury of the central nervous
CADAVERIC SPASM
STAGES OF MUSCULAR CHANGES IN A DEAD
BODY

[Link] of Secondary Flaccidity

– is the relaxation of the body’s
muscles following death.
> Is the softening and flaccidity of
the muscles.
> Is the stage of onset putrefaction.
 PUTREFACTION: is the process of
decay or rotting in a body or other
organic matter; result to softening
liquefaction of the tissue and
accompanied by a foul smelling odor.
PUTREFACTION
 Approximate Sequence of Events in
Putrefaction
Number of Events
Days/Hours
• 12 hours • Rigor Mortis will be
evident
• 24 hours • Rigor Mortis will be
evident with green
discoloration
• 48 hours • Presence of Ova flies
• 72 hours • Cadaver was swollen
and disfigured
• 1 week/7 days • Soft viscera is
putrefied
• 2 weeks/14 days • Soft viscera is largely
 MUMMIFICATION
Is the process of
shrinking and
preservation of the
dead body. It is done by
removing all the fluids
in the body so that it
will not decomposed
MUMMIFICATION
 SAPONIFICATION

is an event that occurs after death in

which a body undergoes chemical
changes that transform body fat into a
substance called adipocere.
It is the formation of soft triable and
brownish white greasy substance.
Is also known as: Adipocere Formation
> Adipocere: a grayish waxy substance
formed by the decomposition of soft
tissue in dead bodies subjected to
moisture.
SAPONIFICATION
 MACERATION

is a form of controlled

putrefaction, a stage of
decomposition in which the
proteins of the body's cells are
broken down and consumed by
bacteria in anaerobic
conditions.
Also known as: Fetal
Putrefaction
MACERATION