It is important that the undressing of the bodies and the external and internal examinations form a continuous and structured process. General features of the naked body should then be described including sex, estimated age, height, build, colour of skin, etc. Some features, e.g. hair and eye colour, are a matter of judgment and may therefore be potentially inaccurate. Taken together with other details, however, they can lead to a positive identification. Specific features, such as scars, moles, tattoos, and abnormalities, are often unique and thus extremely important if they can be matched with ante-mortem data.
Fingerprints are specific external features.
If present on a body, and if ante-mortem prints can be obtained for comparison, they constitute the safest identification means available. They should always be recorded by an expert. An Interpol fingerprint form has been designed to enable prints to be transmitted between member countries in an agreed format, but the appropriate forms used by individual countries will suffice. In some countries an external examination is sufficient evidence of the cause of death, but if a victim's identity or cause of death cannot be determined from an external examination, an autopsy may be necessary. However, the police investigation may require the examination of specific internal or-gans or the consideration of particular conditions, and this will require liaison between the police and the medical examiners.