How Do Police Rule Out Foul Play? Also, why don’t they just call
it “murder?” Photograph by Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images.
French academic and political adviser Richard Descoings was
found dead in his room at New York’s Michelangelo Hotel on
Tuesday. Blood was coming out of his mouth, and his cell phone
was discovered on a lower-floor landing. Police told reporters
they have not ruled out foul play. How would they rule out foul
play? By looking for internal injuries. Most mysterious deaths
come from natural causes, accident, or suicide, but even when
there are no signs of violence police often make a point of
saying they cannot rule out foul play until there’s been an
autopsy. Medical examiners sometimes find hidden, superficial
clues, such as a small gunshot wound in the victim’s scalp, that
escaped police notice. They also check the inside of the
victim’s body for evidence of a violent attack. It’s possible to
fatally damage someone’s organs without leaving major bruises on
his abdomen, for example, and st