In this episode of Crime Insiders Forensics, Kathryn Fox interviews Joseph Scott Morgan, a seasoned death investigator, about his experiences and insights into the world of forensic science. Joseph recounts his unconventional entry into the field, starting as an orderly and becoming a forensic pathologist's scribe, eventually participating in thousands of autopsies. He details the role of a death investigator as the eyes and ears for forensic pathologists, conducting parallel investigations to determine the manner of death, emphasizing the importance of unbiased, scientifically grounded information. The discussion covers practical aspects of fieldwork, including scene management, evidence collection, assessing postmortem intervals using lividity and rigor mortis, and dealing with challenges like staged suicides and environmental hazards such as alligators and flies. Joseph also shares anecdotes, including one about using a doll to reconstruct an infant's death scene and the Trayvon Martin case, to illustrate the critical role of context and thorough documentation in death investigations.
