Evaluation of autopsy cases involving foreign nationals at the Erzurum Forensic Medicine Group, Presidency of the Forensic Medicine Institute between 2016 and 2021.

Abstract

Background: Individuals who are not citizens of a country are defined as foreigners, whereas those with citizenship ties are referred to as nationals. In cases where a foreign national dies in our country, a death certificate is issued by the director of the relevant institution if the death occurs in a public health facility, or by the attending physician in a private health institution. In cases of forensic or suspicious deaths, necropsy and autopsy procedures are conducted in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure and the circular issued by the High Council of Judges and Prosecutors. Based on the circumstances of the incident, a notification form is forwarded to the relevant consulates and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Data on the deaths of foreign nationals are crucial for understanding the demographic characteristics and causes of death within the foreign population. This study aimed to evaluate the deaths of foreign nationals within a geographical and socioeconomic context, to generate scientific data and identify potentially preventable causes of death.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed autopsy reports of foreign nationals who underwent examination at the Morgue Specialization Department of the Erzurum Group Directorate of the Forensic Medicine Institute between 2016 and 2021.

Results: A total of 90 cases were analyzed. Of these, 92% (n=83) were male, and 65.5% (n=59) were in the young to middle-aged group. The mean age was 34.1 years, and 78.8% (n=71) of the individuals were from Central Asia. The causes of death were as follows: diseases in 28.8% (n=26) of cases, traffic accidents in 16.6% (n=15), and hypothermia in 14.4% (n=13). The rate of negative autopsy findings, where no definitive cause of death could be determined due to advanced decomposition, was 5.5% (n=5).

Conclusion: The majority of autopsied deaths of foreign nationals were determined to be due to traumatic causes and occurred outside their country of origin, highlighting the fatal consequences of migration-related mobility. In cases involving the deaths of foreign nationals, the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations should be observed, death notifications should be properly processed, and biological samples should be preserved for identification purposes.