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Chain Of Custody
By Aisha Ghias (KEMC), Mamoona Ghias (PMC)
Principle
Any person who handles specimens of a dead body should be and must be able to certify extent of handling.
Definition
It is the sequence of events from the collection of specimens at the time of crime to its presentation in court.
OR
It is a chain of evidence which is at a given time in the custody of a Govt. official.
Classic Form
Doctorąpoliceąchemical examinerądoctorąpoliceącourt
Procedure
After autopsy specimens are handed over to police by the doctor under stamp and seal,Enteries are made in the police
register,and police hands it over to the assistant of chemical examiner who makes entry in his register.then specimens
+ report of the chemical examiner is sent to the doctor. The doctor again hands it over to the police to be presented in the court.
Doctor Should be Able to Tell
1) When received?
2) When sent back?
3) What was collected?
4) Why was collected?
5) To whom it was handed over?
6) Why it was handed over?
7) When it was handed over?
(NOTE)
it is the duty of the medical officer that he should maintain an un-broken chain of custody and he should be able to
certify before court
Principle
Shoter the chain, the better it is
Surer the chain, the better it is.
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Limitations of Exhumation
By Aisha Ghias (KEMC), Mamoona Ghias (PMC)
1. Time lapse between the time of death and time of exhumation, decomposition may lead to complete skeletonized body and
the finding may be lost.
2. Soft tissue findings may be obscured.
3. Post mortem artifacts may be the diagnosis.
4. Condition of the body at the time of death.
5. Environmental condition of soil and grave.
6. Histopathology is of no value because decomposition causes loss of all cell details.
7. Toxicological analysis in certain cases like vegetable poisoning, volatile poisons and certain synthetic poisons have very
difficult detection on exhumation because thay disappear soon after death.
8. Most lethal limitation is the inexperienced and untrained person who can misinterpret the findings on exhumation.
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