Background: Medicolegal deaths refer to sudden deaths or deaths with uncertain/unknown cause. Forensic or medicolegal autopsies are performed to establish the exact cause of death, circumstances of death, identity of deceased and also the manner of death. The present study profiles the trend of manner of medicolegal death cases using forensic autopsy findings and police reports from the law court. Methods: Data on manner of death were obtained by retrospective review of forensic autopsy findings, police/coroner's reports, toxicology and histology reports. Descriptive analysis was done with SPSS (α=0.05). Results: A total of 303 medicolegal autopsies were performed; 114 (37.6%) natural deaths, 185 (61.1%) unnatural deaths and 4 (1.3%) unascertained cases. Out of the 185 unnatural deaths, there were 119 accidental deaths, 59 homicidal deaths and 7 was suicidal. Cardiovascular diseases, road traffic accident (RTA), blunt injury assault and chemical poising were the dominant factors to natural, accidental, homicidal and suicidal deaths respectively. Conclusion: RTA was the major manner of death identified in the study. This study showed that most of the medicolegal death cases in Ghana are due to unnatural causes and mainly accidental.

Africans, especially Ghanaians, do rely on media reportage than autopsy or police findings in alleged murder or homicide cases. An autopsy finding has numerous benefits of which finding the actual cause of death is paramount. However, most findings are met with public displeasure especially when it is not in line with media reports made earlier. The study review such incidence of which the deceased was reported to have been beaten and dragged on the street which resulted in his demise. Some media reports claimed that the deceased sustained multiple Taser bodily burns and other injuries which include rib fractures, head injury and bodily lacerations at time of reportage. The autopsy findings were polar to the media report. The immediate cause of death was congestive heart failure which was triggered by asymptomatic chronic massive congestion and enlargement of the liver, lungs and the spleen (mechanism of death). The inveterate nature of these condition rules out all suspected foul play or assault. The absence of external or internal marks of violence further validate that the death was natural and not homicide.