• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Locations:
  • Canyon
  • Center
  • College Station
  • Gonzales
  • TVMDL Career Center
  • Contact Us

Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

Apple App

download on the Apple App Store
download the app on Google Play

Search

Translate:

  • Find a Form
  • Deliver a Sample
    • Specimen Collection Information
    • Packaging Samples for Shipment
    • Drop Off a Sample
    • Cremation
    • Order Supplies
  • Client Portal
    • Get Test Results
    • SVA Portal
    • Pay a Bill
  • Become a Client
  • Resources
    • TVMDL Bovine Testing Guidance and Reference Material
    • Diagnostic Plans
      • Bovine Syndromic Diagnostic Plans
      • Equine Syndromic Diagnostic Plans
      • Small Ruminant Syndromic Diagnostic Plans
      • Small Animal Syndromic Diagnostic Plans
    • Education Library
    • Case Study Library
    • Electronic Reporting: QR Coding Process
    • CoreOne Resources
  • About Us
    • Locations and Hours
    • Agency Leadership
    • Speaker’s Bureau
    • Texas Pullorum-Typhoid Program
    • TVMDL Mobile app
    • Contact Us
  • Locations
    • College Station Laboratory
    • Canyon Laboratory
    • Center Laboratory
    • Gonzales Laboratory
  • Contact Us

Forensic pathology/legal necropsy examinations

September 26, 2022 by Mallory Pfeifer

A forensic or legal necropsy as defined by the purposes of the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) is a necropsy done to attempt to determine the cause of death in cases where the death is known or suspected to be non-natural, there are suspicious circumstances, or there is evidence of foul play. They tend to be most useful to aid law enforcement in criminal investigations, particularly those involving animal cruelty. Forensic necropsies take significant time and effort with added costs. Not all necropsy cases require a forensic necropsy.

What is a forensic necropsy?

A forensic necropsy, also known as autopsy, is a detailed, step-by-step postmortem examination of an animal’s body with emphasis placed on evidence collection and photographic documentation to aid in law enforcement investigations. Ideally, a forensic necropsy begins at the crime scene, with photos taken from law enforcement to show the pathologist what has transpired. A chain of custody should arrive with the animal. Radiographs are required in many cases, particularly to evaluate for broken bones or when retrieving gunshot pellets. Numerous photographs are taken from the start of the case and throughout the necropsy. At necropsy, the pathologist evaluates the animal for injuries, diseases, and other abnormalities and then writes a detailed report documenting all the findings. Evidence for potential use in an investigation is collected and can include things like collars, chains, insects, soil, projectiles, etc. Samples of tissue and/or bodily fluids are collected and saved for additional testing such as histopathology, microbiological studies, toxicology, etc. Forensic necropsies take several hours to complete. 

Not every animal death requires a forensic necropsy. Many times, a regular necropsy is sufficient to diagnose the cause of death in animals. TVMDL sees many clients wanting to choose a forensic/legal necropsy option when their animal had a sudden death. Sudden death is defined as unexpected death occurring in less than 1 hour with no obvious or recognized preceding clinical signs. In dogs, the top causes of sudden death are neoplasia, cardiac disease, respiratory disease, gastrodilitation and volvulus, foreign body ingestion with perforation, and motor vehicular trauma. For cats the top causes of acute death are cardiac disease, trauma (predation in indoor-outdoor cats), and inflammatory conditions (Margaret Stalker, University of Guelph, ON, AHL Newsletter 2019;23(4):16-17).

What types of cases are best suited for a forensic necropsy?

Many cases can be submitted for a forensic necropsy. The most common examples include:

  • Gunshot injuries
  • Neglect/cruelty
  • Animal abuse 
  • Stab wounds
  • Sexual abuse
  • Fire-related death
  • Drowning

What is the cost of a forensic necropsy?

The cost of the examination will depend on a variety of factors including type of animal submitted and what tests are requested. At minimum there is the cost of the necropsy (depends on the size and species of the animal), a legal necropsy fee, and radiographs if required. When needed, advanced testing, such as histology, toxicology, and bacteriology, comes at additional costs and will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. The cost of a forensic/legal necropsy is generally several hundred dollars, sometimes totaling over $1000. Please contact us for more information regarding price estimates. 

What things inhibit a forensic or general necropsy?

Things that negatively influence a pathologic exam include but are not limited to:

  • Prolonged time since death
  • Exposure to heat after death
  • Freezing of the animal
  • Burial of the animal
  • Exposure of the animal to nature, such as insects, predators, weather, etc.

As such it is important to have realistic expectations when an animal is brought in to avoid disappointment. For example, TVMDL is often asked if we can tell someone the exact time of death. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Due to the above factors often only a range can be given and often that range is days to week or weeks to months. Post-mortem artifact is also seen quite often, particularly autolysis/decomposition. Autolysis and putrefaction result in rapid degradation and distortion of the tissues, hampering interpretation of postmortem findings. Freezing causes ice crystal formation resulting in architectural distortion of tissues, hampering diagnostic quality. Having realistic expectations is key to a positive working relationship between the client and pathologist.

If you have questions about a case and want to know if it qualifies as a forensic case or if a general necropsy will suffice, please contact TVMDL at 979-845-3414. Download a printable version of this information in the TVMDL Education Library. 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: anatomic pathology, canyon, college station, forensics, histopathology, legal, pathology

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Too much (or too little) of a good thing: thyroid disease testing at TVMDL March 22, 2023
  • TVMDL adds three heavy metal panels to test catalog March 22, 2023
  • Arnold contributes to evaluation of Salmonella prevalence in feeder cattle March 16, 2023
  • Cytauxzoon felis: An Overview March 16, 2023
  • Martins joins College Station laboratory as Virology Section Head March 2, 2023
  • Neurologic Disease due to Bovine Herpesvirus-5 (BHV-5) Infection in a 3-week-old Charolais mix calf February 27, 2023

Footer

For Employees

  • Employee Email
  • TVMDL Rules & Procedures
  • TVMDL Career Center
  • Emergency Alert Systems
  • AgriLife People Directory
  • AgriLife Administrative Services
  • TAMUS Single Sign On
  • Facebook

State of Texas

  • Texas.gov Portal
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • Statewide Search
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Risk, Fraud, & Misconduct Hotline

Policies

  • Privacy and Security Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Texas A&M AgriLife
  • Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Research

483 Agronomy Rd
College Station, TX 77843