I am not certain, but I believe that deaths believed to be accidental or suspicious in nature, homicide, or suicide must be viewed at the scene of the death. I think a body can only be moved with the permission of the coroner. Somebody please correct me if wrong. :angel:
Nobody is supposed to move the body (other than look for ID and some superficial moving) until the coroner's investigator gets there. The
coroner is responsible for the body and everything that is on the body. The police (or the FBI) are there to find out
who killed this guy, but the coroner is there to determine the
cause of death. They really don't like anybody moving the body until they have a chance to look at it. Sometimes the position gives them a clue as to the cause and method of death. Also they need to see if the lividity (where the blood has settled in the body, it will always go to the lowest point and starts about 6 hours after death, and is a pinkish,purplish color) matches the position of the body. It can also help determine time of death.
Sometimes you can get away with handling the body before the coroner arrives but you have to have a good reason. Some forensic techniques need to be done quickly.
Before the body is moved, paper bags are put over its hands to protect fingerprints, things caught under the nails etc.
Of course, if the "body" is alive it complicates matters. Paramedics are called and they take the body away, leaving no body at the scene. Paramedics tend to cut through the bullet holes in the clothing and leave medical supplies around where they can be mistaken for real evidence. A forensic investigator will usually go to the hospital and try to recover what evidence they can. If the victim dies in the hospital the body will be photographed and examined. (All hospitals have a morgue facility on premises for patients who expire.)
Just as no-one should touch the body until the coroner arrives, the coroner can't remove the body until the forensics people have collected all the evidence they need. This can sometimes take hours.
When the body can be removed, it is taken to the morgue. The people that come and collect the body and take it to the morgue are called a removal service and do not work for the coroner's office.
http://www.mitchpileggi.net/Deep_Background/resources/forensics/crimesce.htm
