OSAC 2022-N-0026 Medicolegal Death

Investigation Terms and Definitions

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OSAC 2022-N-0026 

Medicolegal Death

Investigation: Terms and 

Definitions

Medicolegal Death Investigation

Medicine Scientific Area Committee

Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science
OSAC 2022-N-0026 Medicolegal Death

Investigation Terms and Definitions

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Draft OSAC Proposed Standard

OSAC 2022-N-0026

Medicolegal Death Investigation:

Terms and Definitions

Prepared by 

Medicolegal Death Investigation

Version: 1.0

February 2022

Disclaimer:

This OSAC Proposed Standard was written by the (subcommittee) of the Organization of Scientific Area 

Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science following a process that includes an open comment period. 

This Proposed Standard will be submitted to a standards developing organization and is subject to 

change.

There may be references in an OSAC Proposed Standard to other publications under development by 

OSAC. The information in the Proposed Standard, and underlying concepts and methodologies, may be 

used by the forensic-science community before the completion of such companion publications.

Any identification of commercial equipment, instruments, or materials in the Proposed Standard is not a 

recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Government and does not imply that the equipment, 

instruments, or materials are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
OSAC 2022-N-0026 Medicolegal Death

Investigation Terms and Definitions

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1 Medicolegal Death Investigation: 

2 Terms and Definitions

3 Foreword

4 The Medicolegal Death Investigation Subcommittee of the Organization of Scientific Area 

5 Committees determined that there was variation in the terms and definitions relevant to 

6 medicolegal death investigation. This document standardizes the terms and definitions to 

7 promote consistency across disciplines and jurisdictions.

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16 Keywords: medicolegal death investigation, coroner, medical examiner

17

18

19 Abstract: This technical document provides the standardization of terms and definitions used in 

20 standards development in the medicolegal death investigation community. The use of 

21 standardized terminology in the medicolegal death investigation community promotes 

22 consistency across jurisdictions and relieves the judicial system of conflicting terms and 

23 definitions.
OSAC 2022-N-0026 Medicolegal Death

Investigation Terms and Definitions

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24 Table of Contents

25 1 Scope

26 2 Normative References

27 3 Terms and Definitions
OSAC 2022-N-0026 Medicolegal Death

Investigation Terms and Definitions

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28 Medicolegal Death Investigation: Terms and Definitions

29 1. Scope

30 This technical document provides the standardization of terms and definitions used in standards 

31 development in the medicolegal death investigation community. The use of standardized 

32 terminology in the medicolegal death investigation community promotes consistency across 

33 jurisdictions and relieves the judicial system of conflicting terms and definitions. The list of 

34 terms included in this document are fundamental to medicolegal death investigation and 

35 associated standards, it is not meant to be exhaustive. Some terms as defined in this document 

36 may be used with different meanings in other disciplines. 

37

38 2. Normative References

39 The references used for these terms and definitions can be found in the OSAC Lexicon 

40 https://www.nist.gov/osac/osac-lexicon

41

42 3. Terms and Definitions

43 3.1

44 accreditation

45 Formal recognition by an independent accreditation body that a medicolegal system, office, 

46 or agency meets or exceeds a prescribed set of standards 

47

48 3.2

49 accident (manner)

50 Unexpected or unforeseen death due to injury

51

52 3.3

53 autopsy

54 Diagnostic medical procedure consisting of postmortem external examination, internal 

55 examination, and other ancillary tests of a decedent; conducted by a pathologist

56

57 3.4

58 biospecimen

59 Any biological specimen derived from a decedent

60

61 3.6

62 cause of death

63 Medical opinion of the disease or injury that resulted in a person’s death

64

65 3.7
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66 certification

67 Procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a person, product, process, or 

68 service conforms to specific requirements (ISO/IEC Guide 2:2016)

69

70 3.8

71 chief medicolegal officer

72 Medical examiner, coroner, justice of the peace or other official who oversees the operation 

73 of a medicolegal death investigation office and/or system. 

74

75 3.9

76 certified medicolegal death investigator

77 Medicolegal death investigator who has completed the requirements for Certification 

78 (Registry or Board) by an accredited credentialing body, currently American Board of 

79 Medicolegal Death Investigators

80

81 3.10

82 coroner

83 Elected or appointed official whose duty is to oversee medicolegal death investigations, 

84 usually for a single county, and ensure certification of cause and manner of death; duties vary 

85 based on local enabling statutes

86

87 3.11

88 could not be determined (manner)

89 (see 3.37 undetermined) 

90

91 3.12

92 death certificate

93 Formal vital statistics document certifying the identification, cause and manner of death of a 

94 particular individual

95

96 3.13

97 death scene

98 Location or site at which a death is pronounced, and at which the decedent’s body is 

99 located. This may or may not be the same location as the incident scene 

100

101 3.14

102 decedent

103 Deceased person or any suspected human remains

104
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105 3.15

106 external examination

107 Diagnostic medical procedure consisting of physical inspection and ancillary tests of the 

108 decedent without internal examination, conducted by a pathologist

109

110 3.16

111 external evaluation

112 Physical assessment of the decedent by a medicolegal death investigator

113

114 3.17

115 forensic autopsy

116 Autopsy authorized by law, and typically performed under the jurisdiction of a medical 

117 examiner or coroner for criminal justice and public health purposes

118

119 3.18

120 forensic pathologist

121 Physician who is board-certified in forensic pathology by an accredited credentialing body, 

122 currently American Board of Pathology and American Osteopathic Board of Pathology

123

124 3.19

125 forensic pathology

126 Practice of medicine in which the principles of pathology are applied to problems of potential 

127 legal, public health, or public safety significance; a common function is the performance of 

128 autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death

129

130 3.20

131 homicide (manner)

132 Death as a result of a volitional act committed by another person (e.g. injury, poisoning). The 

133 classification of homicide does not necessarily indicate that a crime was committed

134

135 3.21

136 hospital autopsy

137 Autopsy requested by a medical caretaker or healthcare facility, usually authorized by the 

138 next-of-kin

139

140 3.22

141 incident scene

142 Location at which a fatal injury or fatal sequence of events happened. This may or may not 

143 be the same location as where the death was pronounced 
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144

145 3.23

146 jurisdiction

147 (1) Legal authority to make legal decisions and judgments regarding a death, including 

148 performance of autopsy, as well as investigation and certification of cause and manner of 

149 death.

150 (2) Geographic area in which a medical examiner or coroner’s authority applies

151

152 3.24

153 manner of death

154 Classification system based on the circumstances under which death occurred; includes 

155 accident, homicide, natural, suicide, and undetermined 

156

157 3.25

158 medical examiner

159 Appointed forensic pathologist whose duty is to oversee medicolegal death investigations, 

160 perform postmortem examinations, and certify cause and manner of death. In some 

161 jurisdictions, individuals with other qualifications hold the title “Medical Examiner”, but for 

162 purposes of this document those individuals are considered medicolegal death investigators 

163

164 3.26

165 medicolegal death investigation

166 Formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of a human being; investigative 

167 information is considered with autopsy findings and adjunctive studies (if performed) to 

168 determine the cause and manner of death 

169

170 3.27

171 medicolegal death investigation authority

172 Person or persons whose duty it is to perform medicolegal death investigations for a 

173 designated jurisdiction, and ensure certification of cause and manner of death; duties vary 

174 based on local enabling statutes

175

176 3.28

177 medicolegal death investigation office

178 Physical location of an agency (usually a medical examiner or coroner office) with the 

179 authority to perform medicolegal death investigations

180

181 3.29

182 medicolegal death investigation system
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183 Varied jurisdictional structures used for medicolegal death investigations

184

185 3.30

186 medicolegal death investigator

187 Individual who has completed the requirements for Certification (Registry or Board) by an 

188 accredited credentialing body or performs medicolegal death investigations

189

190 3.31

191 natural (manner)

192 Death due solely to natural disease

193

194 3.32

195 next of kin

196 Legally determined hierarchy of interested parties who have authority over the decedent

197

198 3.33

199 postmortem examination

200 Medical examination of a decedent; this may include autopsy, external examination, 

201 evaluation of circumstances, review of medical records and other contextual information

202

203 3.34

204 private autopsy

205 Autopsy requested and authorized by next-of-kin

206

207 3.35

208 registry certified medicolegal death investigator

209 Medicolegal death investigator who has completed the requirements for Registry certification 

210 by the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators or equivalent

211

212 3.36

213 suicide (manner)

214 Death resulting from intentional/volitional self-inflicted act

215

216 3.37

217 undetermined (manner)

218 Manner of death used when the information pointing to one manner of death is no more 

219 compelling than another

220