The Setup
Detective Inspector Burrows of the West Midlands CID is reviewing the post-mortem report on Mr Derek Moseley, aged 52, a scrap metal dealer found dead in his office above the yard in Smethwick on the morning of 3rd March 1974. The pathologist, Dr Irene Collett, performed the examination that afternoon. Moseley's business partner, Mr Vincent Hale, discovered the body and called the police, claiming Moseley must have suffered a heart attack. But DI Burrows notices something conspicuously absent from Dr Collett's otherwise thorough report.
POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION REPORT Sandwell District Mortuary
Deceased: Derek Arthur Moseley Age: 52 years Date of examination: 3rd March 1974 Pathologist: Dr Irene Collett, MB BS, DMJ
External Examination: The body is that of a well-nourished male, 5 feet 10 inches, approximately 14 stone. Rigor mortis is fully established. Lividity is fixed and purple, distributed across the posterior surfaces of the trunk and limbs, consistent with the body lying supine after death.
There is a 3cm contusion on the left temple with slight swelling but no laceration. A further bruise, roughly 5cm in diameter, is noted on the right forearm. The fingernails are intact and clean. There is a faint but distinct ligature mark encircling the neck, approximately 1cm in width, horizontal and uniform in depth.
The eyes show petechial haemorrhaging in both conjunctivae. The mucous membranes of the lips are cyanosed.
Internal Examination: The hyoid bone is fractured. The larynx shows extensive haemorrhage in the surrounding tissues. The lungs are congested and oedematous. The heart shows moderate atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries but no evidence of acute myocardial infarction. The stomach contains a partially digested meal consistent with intake approximately four to five hours before death. No alcohol detected.
Conclusion: The cause of death is asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck. The contusions to the temple and forearm suggest a struggle prior to death. Death is estimated to have occurred between 10pm and midnight on 2nd March.
— Dr I. Collett
The Question
DI Burrows notes something critically absent from this report that should have been mentioned given the circumstances. What is missing, and what does it reveal about how the body was found?