The autopsy on Dr. Fisher has been conducted, and the following results were revealed. Use this information to answer the questions below.

Question

Blood toxicology screen is clean.
A single gunshot wound to the head killed Dr. Fisher. The entrance and exit wounds show that another person fired the shot from across the room.
The body was completely stiff when found.
The back side of the body is purplish blue.
The body was at room temperature when found.
The pH of the body was normal
What was the cause of death? (one sentence)

Question 2
What was the manner of death? (one sentence)

Question 3
What does the pH of the body tell you? What would a high bodily pH indicate and what would a low bodily pH indicate?

Answer 1

Question 1: The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.

Question 2: The manner of death was homicide.

Question 3: The pH of the body being normal indicates that the body was likely not deceased for an extended period prior to discovery, as normal pH levels suggest metabolic processes were still functioning at the time of death. A high bodily pH (alkalosis) could suggest certain medical conditions or prolonged survival post-mortem, while a low bodily pH (acidosis) might indicate death occurred in a state of respiratory or metabolic failure or prolonged exposure to the environment leading to breakdown processes.