A second autopsy has limits: CIFS

The Central Institute of Forensic Sciences (CIFS) will meet the parents of the dead promotional model Thitima “Lunlabelle” Noraphanpiphat, to talk about the limitations of a second autopsy.

Wannapong Kotcharak, CIFS’s deputy chief, said he has asked Worawi Waiyawut, director of the DNA Division, to meet Thitima’s parents, Chaowalit and Supamas Noraphanpiphat, today to answer any questions they may have about the result of the first autopsy.

Late last month, the coupled lodged a petition with the Justice Ministry to demand a second autopsy, as they did not believe their daughter drank herself to death.

The first autopsy, performed by Chulalongkorn Hospital, found Thitima died of extreme alcohol intoxication with a blood alcohol concentration of 418 milligrammes per 100 millilitres — enough to render an individual unconscious and/or cause death.

Pol Lt Col Wannapong said the parents must be aware that while a second autopsy can be helpful, it comes it with its own set of limitations.

“Tests on alcohol and other substances will not be as accurate because Thitima’s body was preserved in embalming chemicals,” he said.

Pol Lt Col Wannapong said once the parents have understood the limitations of a second autopsy, forensic specialists from Rama and Chulalongkorn hospitals will be invited to observe the procedure. CIFS said the second autopsy should be done by Oct 21, and the findings will be sent to investigators.

Meanwhile, Pongsa Ratree, the lawyer representing Thitima’s parents, said they are not questioning the results of the first autopsy. “All they want to know is whether there are traces of the drugs found at the house in Thitima’s system, and whether their daughter was sexually assaulted,” he said. Thitima, 25, was found dead on a sofa in the lobby of a condo on Ratchadaphisek-Tha Phra Road in Thon Buri district early on Sept 17.