A press conference by the Beverly Hills Police Department and Los Angeles County Coroner is coming up. 

Media is reporting that the autopsy that has determined her cause of death is completed. FYI - the autopsy begins with the scene investigation and concludes when the investigative reports, information, facts, evidence and autopsy findings (including toxicology and possibly microbiology) are done. So, no the autopsy is not complete and I doubt you will hear a cause or manner of death. To the living we owe respect, to the dead we owe the truth.

First mistake in a media story - 'Did she die of an accidental suicide'?  FYI - It's either 'Accident' or 'Suicide', not both (if there is a question between the two with neither being more than likely than the other, that is 'Equivocal' and that is where our agency comes in and shines).

Hollywood has taken it toll of great talent over many decades, and it seems much more so over the recent years.

Friends and colleagues, As with many 'privacy' concerns, knee-jerk reactions by legislators and 'rule makers' can have adverse affects on our profession.  See this notice from Jimmie Mesis, Legislative Chair for NCISS (National Council of Investigation and Security Services).  For many, access to divorce and marriage records at the state level has been counter-productive.  Please contact your representatives to let them know this will impact you and how you are able to conduct investigations for their constituents.NCISS Urges House Committee to Keep Death Master List Available

From NCISS Legislative Chair, Jimmie Mesis:

NCISS submitted testimony today to the Subcommittee on Social Security opposing legislation that would restrict access to the Social Security Death Index.

The Subcommittee is holding a hearing Thursday on "Social Security Death Records". Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) has introduced HR 3475, The "Keeping ID's Safe Act", which would prohibit the Social Security Administration from releasing death records to the public. It is one of several pending bills in Congress to restrict access to the records.

In announcing the hearing, Congressman Johnson expressed concern that Social Security number information from the Death Master File (or Social Security Death Index) is used to facilitate identity theft. We responded to this concern by stating:  

"The SSDI (Social Security Death Index) is one of the strongest tools in the arsenal used to fight identity theft. When we conduct background checks, due diligence or investigate fraud, the SSDI reveals instantly if someone is using the Social Security number of a deceased individual. It is the best defense we have against the misuse of the identity of deceased persons. A proper use of the SSDI should lead directly to the arrest of identity thieves."

That statement is supported by The Department of Commerce's National Technical Information Service (NTIS) which says:

"By methodically running financial, credit, payment and other applications against the Death Master File, the financial community, insurance companies, security firms and state and local governments are better able to identify and prevent identity fraud."

Our statement went on to discuss how I had used death records to assist a pharmaceutical company that was trying to determine how many participants in a drug trial had passed away. Such information is critical, of course, to determine the safety of drugs being marketed to the public.

We also strongly opposed limiting access to Social Security numbers in the death records, as they are essential for distinguishing among the thousands of persons sharing similar names and birth dates.   Recently, some private providers of the information have started restricting access to Social Security numbers themselves. NCISS has written to the CEO of Ancestry.com objecting to that restriction.

Your Legislative Committee will continue to oppose efforts to restrict access to Social Security death records.

#####
The National Council of Investigation and Security Services, Inc., is a cooperative effort of those companies and associations responsible for providing private security and investigation services to the legal profession, business community, government and the public. Each day we find an increasing number of problems confronting the orderly growth of our profession. These problems include, among others: overly restrictive legislation regarding training and standards, proliferation of legislation requiring local licensing, public misunderstanding and misinformation on the role and contribution of private investigators and security services, and an uninformed media. It is the role of NCISS to meet and solve these problems while seeking to uncover and recommend action on any hidden potential problems which may have an effect on our profession.

Regards, Dean
NCISS Region 5A Director

Did you know that AFI-LLC will provide documentation of injuries both clinically (i.e. home or hospital) and at funeral homes?  We will also collect decedent toxicology specimens and submit for second testing.  This service is only available in CO, WY and the NE panhandle.  We are working on other locations.

What Top 10 drugs found in toxicology of decedents?  A recent report reveals:
Ethanol (alcohol)
Cocaine stimulant, local anesthetic
Benzoylecgonine metabolite of cocaine
Lorazepam anticonvulsant, muscle relaxant (Ativan)
Benzodiazepine alprazolam antianxiety agent
Bensodiazepine delta-9 thc "Parent" THC
Delta-9 carboxy thc metabolite of THC
Acetaminophen analgesic, antipyretic
Caffeine stimulant

A story today regarding a death that occurred in 2010 is a perfect example of why you do not jump to a conclusion when you first enter the scene where a death has occurred.  It takes several angles of an investigation in finding all of the facts to have an accurate determination of a death.  A decedent found with a gun close by could be a suicide, a homicide or an accident, so assumptions and/or tunnel vision should not come in to play.  A proper fact finding investigation with all of the professional team members involved will be what is necessary in making an important ruling on a death.   To see the newspaper article along with the related stories involving this case out of Durango, Colorado here is the link:  http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20111223/NEWS01/712239916/0/20111104/Garcia-faces-new-charges-in-shooting-case

_Statistics for 2010 from the Center for Disease Control for the top five leading causes of death. Slayings (homicide) is no longer on the list, has been since 1965. #5 is accidents and #10 is suicides.  The other good news...infant mortality is down 3.9%.

The remaining causes of death in the top 15 for 2010 are those of natural disease processes, with heart disease being the leader.

These statistics reveal a few things…

-- Breakthroughs in medicine have helped infant mortality, but not other natural diseases.  That is not to lay the blame on medicine, we are responsible for what we do.  Of the disease processes, most are likely result of our diets and habits, while others are unknown (i.e. cancer); some are one or the other – such as heart disease or diabetes with a family history, or cancer caused by smoking.  Others may be environmental or other causes, such as some environmentally related carcinogens.

At the same time, several natural diseases rose in the rankings, including Alzheimer’s, kidney disease and cirrhosis.  Of these, some are naturally progressing while others are essentially induced.  Research is making progress.  Alzheimer’s may be on the rise simply because of awareness and increased treatment – not too long ago when an elderly person showed symptoms it was just aging.

-- Homicides may be down due to social behavior and awareness, as well as law enforcement and policing efforts.  The highest ranking has been #13.

-- Suicides remain concerns both individually and to society.  There are no solutions to suicide, as contributing factors can include from mental health to personal.  Education and awareness continue to be the frontline efforts to lower the suicide rate.

-- Accidents, or deaths caused by unintentional acts, is the second leading Manner of Death.  These arise from everything from personal acts to work place incidents.  These may be from as negligence of the decedent or others, to careless and reckless behavior of the decedent or others.  In addition, we cannot overlook the impact that alcohol and other drug, licit and illicit, deaths have had on this particular Manner of Death.

Many feel that the purpose of the legal investigator is to find favor of the facts to their client.  This is far from the truth, no pun intended.  In fact (no pun intended again), the sole responsibility of the legal investigator is to elicit information through an investigative process that aids the fact finder in determine the facts and evidence to make their determination of the direct and circumstantial truth.  The trier of fact is typically a judge or jury.  However, in some instances this may be by the family or an insurance company.  This becomes an Equivocal Death Investigation, which hopes to provide peace of mind or closure, and to determine if the death of a loved one has been properly investigated, such as homicide vs. suicide, suicide v. accident, or accident v. homicide.

If should be further noted that the statistics in the stories are derived from death certificate data (one of the purposes of death certificates is to collect data).  Unfortunately, this may not be the most accurate way of collecting this data.  Specifically:
-- Most deaths that are reported as 'Natural' are not autopsied and therefore the final Cause of Death is appropriately subjective based upon medical history.
-- However, many elderly deaths are improperly classified as 'Natural' when the underlying cause could be an 'Accident', such as consequential to a hip fracture or other ailment as a result of an underlying unnatural and accidental event.

Full stories can be found at:http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/11/3364738/murder-not-a-top-cause-of-death.html
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-death-rates-homicide-20120111,0,1761439.story

A thorough official medicolegal death analysis, and if necessary full investigation, should be done at the time of death.  If there are any lingering or unanswered questions, an independent medicolegal death analysis, and if necessary full investigation, should be considered.

To learn more about our Equivocal Death Analysis and Equivocal Death Investigations, please visit:
Flat Fee - Equivocal Death Analysis

_Friends and Colleagues,

Happy 2012!  We heard from many of you that 2011 was not kind to you, and we know our profession had its bumps.  For 2012 we have developed a motto that we feel would help everyone in our profession...'Together We're Better'.  Its a simple concept that emphasizes we are not competitors with each other, but we are all in this together and with each other.  From networking to case collaboration, from legislative issues to resources and marketing - its all about each of us as a team member.

Each month our agency publishes an interactive and informative newsletter for clients and colleagues.  However, some groups strip out the html code - so we have created the following links.

The current issue is at< AFI-LLC Newsletter - January 2012 >

2012 is also looking to be a good year for our outreach training seminars in Death Investigation and Injury Causation.  We have several interested groups in TX, AZ, IA, CO and FL.  As these plans begin to develop and be finalized, we will post them at http://www.forensic-investigators.com/training.html with full details of our seminars at http://www.forensic-investigators.com/training-seminar.html.  If you cannot attend one of our more intense and interactive seminars, consider PI Education for your CE - at www.PIEducation.com developed by us.THIS MON

AGENCY NEWS AND UPDATES
-- Colleague and Client  Referral Appreciation Program
-- Flat Fee Equivocal Death and Personal Injury Analysis Protocol
-- Black Friday Month winner    

In This Issue

-- Understanding Suicide and its Prevention
-- Company Neglects to Check Sex Offender Records - Places Employee in Day Care Center
-- The Importance of Legally Compliant Background Checks
-- Attorney-Expert Communications Not Discoverable
-- AFI-LLC Consultant, Stephen J. Cina MD, Forensic Pathologist in the news

Association News
-- Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado (PPIAC)
-- National Association of Legal Investigators (NALI)
-- National Council of Investigation and Security Services (NCISS)
-- World Association of Detectives (WAD)
-- National Defender Investigators Association (NDIA)
What is your association news that we can share?
As news of our profession changes daily, keep an eye on our agency blog (http://www.forensic-investigators.com/afi-llc-blog.html), where we will be more frequently posting stories, updates and association news of our profession.

The newsletter archives and press releases can be found at < Newsletters and Press Releases Archives >.  You can sign up to directly receive newsletters and press releases at < Subscribe to Newsletters and Press Releases >.  Information covers industry news, association news, legislative news and topical information contributed by other investigators.

Thank You!  If you have news to share or considerations to share in our newsletter, let us know.

PS - Remember, if we can ever be of assistance in any personal injury or death investigation and litigation, we are available any time.
-----
Dean A. Beers, CLI, CCDI and Karen S. Beers, BSW, CCDI
Board Certified Legal Investigator / Expert
Board Certified Criminal Defense Investigators
Certified Death Investigators / former Deputy Coroners

Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC
www.Forensic-Investigators.com ~ beersda@Forensic-Investigators.com
(970) 480-7793 Office (Dean x1 / Karen x2) and (970) 480-7794 Fax

'Quaero Indicium - To Find the Evidence'

What does it mean to conduct an Equivocal Death Investigation or Analysis (EDI, EDA)?  We get asked this question time and time again.  An Equivocal Death Investigation is an in depth investigation into a death that has lingering questions.  Many families have come to us for help in understanding the circumstances surrounding a loved ones death.  The manners of death can be classified as any of the following:  homicide, suicide, natural, accident or undetermined.  Sometimes the family/loved one of the deceased individual does not agree with the final determination and have a yearning for more answers. 

We will analyze all of the information the family/loved one has on the decedent and comb through the information step by step to trace the steps in the original investigative process.  We will answer any questions the family/loved one has regarding the death, and we do this with an unbiased open mind. 

Reconstructing a death and the investigation will assist the family/loved one in the healing process.  Sometimes our minds can get carried away creating numerous scenarios which only adds to our lingering questions and distress over a loved ones death.  We can help quiet some or even all of those questions so that you may heal and carry on with your life.  Many times a professional second opinion regarding whether the investigation was conducted properly in the first place with be enough to ease your mind.

If we find discrepancies in the original reports, or find that the evidence does not match the final decisions, we will point out these concerns, which can sometimes mean reopening the case for further investigation.  Providing family/loved ones with answers to ease their minds is our main goal.  Life can be stressful and difficult enough without the constant worry surrounding a loved ones death.

Due to the overwhelming need for an Equivocal Death Analysis, we have created a flat-rate fee to further assist families in finding answers.  An affordable, small price to pay for peace of mind. 

At Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC (AFI-LLC), we have found that families, as well as our colleagues and attorney clients, are often unsure if a complete investigation is necessary, or how to determine the necessity of a full Equivocal Death Investigation.  Often, just the assurance that a proper investigation was completed is all that is necessary, and warranted.

This review is NOT investigative, nor will AFI-LLC be able to answer the questions of Cause of Death and Manner of Death.  This is a review of the official investigation to determine if accepted and standard medicolegal death investigation procedures and protocols were followed.

At the conclusion of this review we will provide a letter of our expert opinion to answer this question.  If we find that there were errors or omissions, we may recommend additional steps, including an in-depth Equivocal Death Investigation (EDI).  Due to the nature of EDIs, these cannot be provided at a flat fee.

Please visit the information page and < Click Here for details >
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