Case report: Determining the cause of death in decomposed bodies of suspected case of blunt force trauma on the nose, mouth, and neck

The process of decomposition exerts significant constraints on forensic processes such as identification and interpretation of the wounds. the Department of Forensic and Medicolegal, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia/RSCM received a female corpse from the Police Department of Penjaringan, North Jakarta, with suspected death due to disease. The findings suggested to blunt force trauma on the nose and mouth region. Damages observed during external examination revealed injury to the nose, lips, and neck area, which was confirmed by tissue histopathology examination, and no significant abnormalities were found in other organs. Negative toxicological results strengthened our conviction that the victim died due to blunt force trauma on the nose, lips, and neck area. A subsequent statement from the arrested perpetrator confirmed murdered the victim by strangulate and smothering. In conclusion, a careful, precise, and complete forensic examination of decomposed corpses along with information about the crime scene can reveal sufficient information for identifying the exact cause of death.