Dr. Vincent J. M. DiMaio was the Chief Medical Examiner for Bexar County in San Antonio, Texas for over 25 years. He was also an Adjunct Professor in the Pathology Department of the University of Texas Health Sciences at San Antonio, School of Medicine and the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology from 1992 to 2017. He has published a huge volume of peer reviewed scientific articles in his field, and has also published several textbooks on the topics of forensic pathology, gunshot wounds and excited delirium in addition to the present book which was originally written with his father, Dr. Dominick DiMaio, also a forensic pathologist who was a former Chief Medical Examiner of New York City. He is an internationally renowned and respected leader in forensic pathology and is renowned for his expertise in gunshot wounds and firearms, often being consulted by attorneys and law enforcement officials from across the county.

Dr. D. Kimberley Molina is currently the current Chief Medical Examiner for the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office located in San Antonio, Texas. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology and serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pathology at the UT-Health Medical School. She has written numerous articles and book chapters regarding the field of forensic pathology, including a handbook on forensic toxicology with Dr. Veronica Hargrove.

Dedication. Acknowledgements. About the Author. 1: Medicolegal Death Investigation. 2: Postmortem Changes, Time of Death and Identification. 3: Sudden deaths due to Natural Disease. 4: Deaths due to Electrolyte abnormalities and starvation. 5: Blunt Trauma Wounds. 6: Sharp Force Wounds. 7: Ballistic Wounds. 8: Asphyxia. 9: Sudden Death in Infancy. 10: Neonaticide, Infanticide, and Child Homicide. 11: Deaths caused of Motor Vehicle Incidents. 12: Mass Fatality Incidents. 13: Burns and Fire Deaths. 14: Deaths in Water. 15: Electrocution. 16: Hyperthermia and Hypothermia: The Effects of Heat and Cold. 17: Sexual Assault. 18: Deaths in the Elderly. 19: Sudden Death During or Immediately after a Struggle. 20: Medical Misadventures. 21: Interpretative Toxicology and Drug Deaths due to drugs. 22: Forensic Science and the Forensic Pathologist. Appendices. Appendix A: Forensic autopsy, radiography and photography. Appendix B: Autopsy report. Appendix C: Normal weights for organs.