Homicide by unspecified means.

The fundamental function of all North American systems of death investigation is to determine cause and manner of death. Modern teaching emphasizes the need to consider all investigative aspects including careful evaluation of the scene and circumstances, history, physical examination of the body, and ancillary laboratory studies, prior to death certification. This integrative approach to forensic pathology differs from an autopsy-focused practice whose function is to produce "anatomic" cause of death statements. Some individuals die under suspicious circumstances and, despite thorough autopsy, have no anatomic cause of death. In Miami-Dade County, when the preponderance of evidence and investigative data suggest homicide despite the absence of an identifiable cause of death, "homicide by unspecified means" has been used as a summative cause of death statement. The records of the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department were searched for this diagnosis, identifying 18 such cases between 1990 and 2004. The characteristics of these cases are discussed. Guidelines for the use of this diagnostic label are provided.