In his line of work, it's essential to remain emotionally detached. The evidence can speak for itself. Dr Krittin Meewuttisom works on dead bodies to determine the cause of death and collects evidence found on cadavers to bring murderers to justice. His job is visceral but it's also about fact-finding, a responsibility he shoulders with duty, diligence and sense of urgency.
"To limit the margin for error, the autopsy has to be conducted with flawless precision," said the forensic medical doctor, who has worked for five years in Ranong Hospital's Department of Forensic Medicine.
"I work closely with crime-scene investigators on not just when a person is found dead but also cases of rape and physical abuse. Forensic doctors are often under immense pressure to produce results as cases begin to pile up. Despite the time constraint, none of the cases are completed in a rush-rush manner."
Late last year Dr Krittin was called on to help solve the high-profile murder of Orawee Sampaotong, a young woman in Ranong who was of Myanmar descent. The government-hospital forensic doctor identified a total of 17 stab and incision wounds, reporting that most were found on her back. Dr Krittin found no evidence of blunt-force injury, apart from a brush-type abrasion on her forehead resulting from contact with a rough surface.
He further suggested that the key to finding the murderer was in the DNA on the knife, which the police retrieved from a canal. However, it was very likely that DNA would have been destroyed due to factors including the amount of time that had passed and the pH value of the water. If no blood stains are present, a random sampling may be conducted, but there is little possibility the DNA would still exist.
The police arrested four Myanmar suspects, who have been charged but are yet to be brought to trial.
It goes without saying that one source of job satisfaction for this medical expert is being able to use forensic pathology to unearth evidence used to bring criminals to justice. Closure for the victim's family is one of the highest rewards for this messy job. His work is often clear-cut when the body is intact, he said, but when it gets ugly and the body comes in pieces, things are more complicated. Thanks to the latest developments in forensic science, however, it's sometimes possible to determine the cause of death of even the most mutilated corpse. Dr Krittin said that attempted disposal of a body can include mutilation, slashing, gouging and pounding. In dismemberment, only widely scattered parts are found, making it all the more difficult to identify the victim and the cause of death.
Dr Krittin, left, photographs a victim as police and medical staff look on.
One challenge is that examiners must determine whether all the severed parts came from the same person. Sometimes, it's a matter of piecing together a scar or matching the diameter of cut bones. Of course, the most conclusive test is a laboratory matching of DNA from samples of blood, bone or muscle.
Identifying the body and determining the causeor manner of death in a scenario where there is very little or no proper history available on the decomposed human bones and tissues can become complicated, but not so much as to discourage the medical examiner from trying.
He explains: "A hand can sometimes yield fingerprints for a match if the victim had ever been fingerprinted as a child or as a crime suspect.
"The victim's height can be obtained from as little as a leg bone. Anthropology studies of various populations over time have produced formulas for determining height from a single femur. Such studies also help medical examiners approximate age by looking at the fourth rib, collar bone and pelvis.
"To determine the victim's cause of death, examiners search the skin for bruises, cuts other than those that severed the body parts, and any other signs of illness or injury. They also X-ray the parts for broken bones, anatomical anomalies and metal fragments that could have come from a knife or bullet.
"With the technology and know-how we have today, there is always an answer out there. All we, as forensic experts, need to do is search for it. Having said that, there are instances where the bodies remain unidentifiable because the examiner has very little to work on."
Contamination of forensic evidence can be addressed, says Dr Krittin, and can start with the person who originally finds the body and calls the police. The first people at the crime scene can play a pivotal role by helping act as security, keeping the area clear of anyone who is not medical or law-enforcement personnel. Contamination of evidence jeopardises the case, so management of the scene is imperative, he said. It is equally important for such people to share information about how they discovered the body, and if they observed anything unusual. Dr Krittin said isolating the crime scene is imperative to determining how the crime unfolded, so every detail witnesses can share with them is crucial to solving the case promptly.
Maintaining chain of custody, the order in which a piece of criminal evidence should be managed by staff investigating a case, is a must for preserving evidence from the time it is collected to the time it is presented in court, he said.
As for some of the most demanding cases he has worked on thus far, Dr Krittin said: "While each case has its complexities, I recall one case that was rather challenging because there was little incriminating evidence to prove that the two-year-old dead child had been physically abused leading up to her death. We were able to determine that she died due to injuries, but had to dig deeper to search for evidence of physical abuse.
"Another case that left me baffled was the death of a German man, who had died of apparently mysterious causes. After the autopsy, we found that he suffered from Caroli Syndrome, probably the first such case in Ranong.
"The case of a group of migrant fishermen, who were found dead in their trawler due to causes that initially seemed health-related, was a case that raised more questions than answers. It was a real challenge to piece together the complications that led to their demise. As forensic doctors, we remain neutral and let the evidence speak for itself, even when the police might be involved."
