In most cases, investigating police officers remove or handle clothes on the dead body. In a majority of cases this is unavoidable. The following points are to be remembered and followed
- Look for any stains of mud, blood, tears, saliva, semen, vomit or faecal matter, loss of buttons, pieces of glass, bits of paint, fibers, hair as regards its size, shape, location, indicative of struggle before the clothes were removed, and preserve them for chemical analysis.
- Describe stains of blood, saliva, semen, vomit or faecal matter, pieces of glass, bits of paint, fibers, hair etc. as regards its size, shape, location etc. and preserve them for chemical analysis.
- Note down the cuts or rents caused by a cutting instrument, burns caused by fire or acids, or holes and blackening caused by discharge from firearms and compare them to find out whether they correspond to injuries on the body.
- For preservation of clothes, first air- dry stains without exposure to the sun or heat. Then, if the cloth is small, preserve each one into a separate envelope or if the cloth is a large one, then cut that piece of cloth which is stained and seal it in a separate envelope.
- Note any broken nails and/or any debris under the nails. Remove it carefully by a toothpick for examination of epidermal cells, fibers and blood.
- A swab or scraping from suspected, stained areas of the body.
- Scalp hair - a bunch is pulled out with its roots and preserved.
- Any other foreign, suspicious object on the body of the deceased, e.g. ligature material - in case of hanging/strangulation ( by use of cellotape)
This becomes particularly relevant in cases where the concerned person is an accused or victim of rape.
- Note any matted pubic hair, cut it with a pair of scissors, preserve the sample in paper/polythene bags.
- Scrape off any dried seminal stains on and around genitals and thighs and preserve the samples. Or moisten the area with normal saline and prepare slides for microscopic examination.
- Obtain the vaginal secretion from the posterior fornix by introducing a plain sterile cotton wool swab and immediately transfer it to a microscope slide. Spread it out into a thin film and send it for analysis.
- If you find any mucopurulent or purulent discharge of a greenish-yellow color from the vagina, make a thin film of the discharge on glass slides.
- Also prepare slides of urethral discharge and preserve them.
- If you notice any syphillitic sore, either in the victim or the accused, collect the serum for dark ground examination for treponema pallidum.
- Collect and preserve anal swabs from around the anus and anal canal