Jenni-Lyn Watson's autopsy

Jenni-Lyn Watson, the victim of murder in Clay, New York, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend Steven M. Pieper is being autopsied on Sunday, Nov. 28th, according to WSYR TV.

Autopsy is a word that can conjure up the most lurid imaginations and likely not one anyone wants to hear after the death of a loved one. But for those unfamiliar with the process and desiring to better understand where this procedure takes a homicide case like Jenni-Lyn Watsons, it should be addressed.

Medical examiner personnel differ from the local coroner in a jurisdiction. The coroner may be called out to verify death, evaluate the cause and estimate the time, but it is the state's medical examiners office that will likely be asked to perform an autopsy on a homicide victim like Jenni-Lyn Watson.

Jenni-Lyn's death had not been officially determined as of the arrest of her former boyfriend Steven Pieper as of Saturday evening, Nov. 27th. However, that doesn't mean that law enforcement does not have an idea of how it occurred.

Autospy proceedings confirm their suspicions, giving them additional information needed for the prosecution and piecing together of the case, or it points them in new investigative directions.

Steven M. Pieper, the accused in the homicide case of Jenni-Lyn Watson, was read information by Judge Lauri at his arraignment Saturday night, essentially stating the manner of death was undetermined but that Pieper removed the body from the victim's home, according to WSYR.

Law enforcement in the dance student's case have already stated publicly that there was not blood at the scene and no signs violence had occurred at the home. Of course violence can occur and the scene can be "cleaned up," and strangulation basically leaves little evidence if the body is removed promptly and never had contact with anything but the perpetrator and his hands.

The medical examiner can determine if asphyxia due to ligature strangulation (or the hands) occurred. Petechia presence on the eye lids will indicate potential strangulation as the cause of death, as will conjunctivael and sclergel hemorrhage in the eye. Other physical signs are also an indication, including damage to the thorax.

Jenni-Lyn Watson's cause of death is not known as of early Sunday morning by the public, but that information should be known soon, if the police decide to make the findings known from the autopsy performed.

The exact cause of the Mercyhurst student's death will paint a clearer picture of the events that unfolded the day of her death and help eliminate any false hypothesis to that end--or any false statements made to police by the suspect. Fingerprints can be obtained, debris from beneath the fingernails can be analyzed to see if skin or blood is present (indicating Jenni-Lyn Watson fought her attacker), and a multitude of other evidence can be gathered to help in the prosecution of the case.