Question

part b. autopsy 2: voices from the dead (60 min)
watch the video and answer the following questions.
question\tanswer
the unidentified torso
what did fishermen find in the mississippi river?\t
what part of the body was the torso?\t
how did they know the torso had borne a child?\t
how was the body dismembered?\t
why was this portion of the torso so difficult to identify?\t
how did dr. snow “deflesh” the torso? why did he do this?\t
how was the age and height of the victim determined?\t
who did the torso belong to and who murdered her?\t
maggots in evidence
how was the body found?\t
what was found by the toxicologist when the maggots were blended and tested?\t
how did the victim die?\t
the good doctor
how did mark cavaness die?\t
how did sean cavaness die?\t
how did the medical examiner’s findings determine that sean cavaness\t

Answer:

To answer these questions, you need to watch the video "Autopsy 2: Voices from the Dead" and extract the relevant information. Here's how to approach each sub - question:

The Unidentified Torso

1. What did fishermen find in the Mississippi River?

• Watch the part of the video related to the Mississippi River discovery. The fishermen found a human torso (a portion of a human body) in the Mississippi River.

1. What part of the body was the torso?

• A torso is the trunk of the human body, excluding the head, arms, and legs. It includes the chest, abdomen, and the area around the spine in that central trunk region.

1. How did they know the torso had borne a child?

• Look for details about the anatomical or physiological signs. Usually, signs related to the pelvic structure or uterine changes (like the shape of the pelvis or evidence of previous childbirth in the uterine area) would indicate this. For example, the pelvic bones may show signs of having been stretched during childbirth, or there could be scarring in the uterine region from a previous delivery.

1. How was the body dismembered?

• Pay attention to the methods described in the video. It could be that the body was cut with a sharp instrument, perhaps a knife or a saw, at the joints or between the torso and the limbs (though the limbs were not found with the torso in this case). The cuts might be clean or show signs of a particular tool's use.

1. Why was this portion of the torso so difficult to identify?

• Consider factors like the condition of the body (e.g., decomposition, lack of identifying features like fingerprints, teeth records, or personal items), and the fact that it was just a torso (no head for facial recognition, no limbs with identifying marks like tattoos or jewelry on hands/arms). Also, if the body had been in the water for a long time, it could have been damaged by water, animals, or the environment, further obscuring identifying features.

1. How did Dr. Snow “deflesh” the torso? Why did he do this?

• For the defleshing method, Dr. Snow likely used a technique like maceration (soaking in water to let natural processes or enzymes break down the flesh) or perhaps a chemical method, or he might have used tools to carefully remove the flesh. The reason for defleshing is to expose the skeletal structure or underlying anatomical features (like the pelvis, ribs, or spine) which can provide more information for identification, such as age, sex, and past injuries or conditions.

1. How was the age and height of the victim determined?

• Age can be determined by examining the skeletal structure (e.g., the degree of ossification of bones, the condition of the teeth, the fusion of growth plates in long bones if they were available, or the wear and tear on the vertebrae). Height can be estimated by measuring the length of long bones (if available) and using anthropometric formulas that relate bone length to height, or by looking at the size and proportions of the torso bones (though this is less accurate than using long bones).

1. Who did the torso belong to and who murdered her?

• The video should reveal the identity of the victim (e.g., a woman with a specific name) and the perpetrator (the person who committed the murder, which could be a family member, acquaintance, etc., based on the evidence in the video).

Maggots in Evidence

1. How was the body found?

• The video will show the circumstances of the body's discovery, such as where it was located (e.g., in a field, a building, a body of water), and how it was discovered (by a passer - by, a law enforcement search, etc.).

1. What was found by the toxicologist when the maggots were blended and tested?

• Toxicologists test maggots because they can accumulate toxins from the body they are feeding on. So, they might find traces of drugs, poisons, or other toxic substances that were in the victim's body at the time of death.

1. How did the victim die?

• Based on the toxicology results, the condition of the body, and other evidence (like signs of trauma), the cause of death can be determined. It could be due to poisoning, trauma (like a gunshot, stab wound), or a combination of factors.

The Good Doctor

1. How did Mark Cavaness die?

• The video will provide details about Mark Cavaness's death, such as the cause (e.g., illness, injury, suicide, homicide) and the circumstances around it.

1. How did Sean Cavaness die?

• Similar to Mark's death, the video will show the cause and circumstances of Sean Cavaness's death, which could be related to Mark's death or an independent event.

1. How did the medical examiner’s findings determine that Sean Cavaness... (the question seems incomplete, but based on the context, it's likely about how the medical examiner's findings determined something about Sean's death, like the cause, or if it was related to Mark's actions. The medical examiner would look at things like the condition of the body, signs of trauma, toxicology results, and compare them to the circumstances of Mark's death to make a determination.)

Since these questions require information from the specific video, you must watch the video and take notes on the relevant details to fill in the answers accurately.