On December 5 and 6, Forensics students took a trip to the Medical Examiner’s Office to get a glimpse of forensic science in the real world.

Forensics teacher Jordan Yasutomi led the trips, which consisted of juniors and seniors. “Together with the forensics examiner, students performed case studies where most of [the medical examiner’s] patients [made] unwise choices like drinking and driving, the usage of drugs, and making irresponsible decisions,” said Yasutomi.

If you know how most people die, you can determine what to avoid

The students are currently learning about blood splatters and patterns, and were able to put their knowledge to the test when discussing cases with pathologist and medical examiner Roland Yap. Yap led the students on a tour of the building, beginning with a presentation on the aspects of his job as well as a few examples of actual cases (pictures included.) He spoke about the importance of considering the consequences when venturing out to have “fun”. He said, “If you know how most people die, you can determine what to avoid.”

After the presentation, Yap led students down to the morgue where they saw the autopsy room as well as where some of bodies were being stored and preserved. Not only did students get to see corpses with their own eyes, they also experienced the smell of decomposing bodies.

Yap also explained how bodies were examined and what the primary causes of death among the different age groups were. Through this field trip, students were able to see what Forensics in the real world looks (and smells) like.

Photographs by Jordan Yasutomi