The major method of detecting murder involves autopsies performed by which type of physician?

• A. Radiologist
• B. Forensic Scientist
• C. Pathologist
• D. Medical Examiner

Answer: (C)

Autopsies are the primary way to uncover the exact cause and manner of death in homicide investigations, requiring specialized medical analysis of the body, tissues, and toxins. The physician who conducts these examinations is a pathologist, and when focused on death investigations, a forensic pathologist. Radiologists interpret imaging studies, not perform full autopsies. Forensic scientists analyze lab evidence but are not physicians who examine the body. The medical examiner is the official overseeing death investigations and may be a physician, but the person performing the autopsy is the pathologist. So the best answer is a pathologist.