The Virtopsy® research project (» What's the idea behind the term "virtopsy"?) builds on a unique logistical structure: due to the close cooperation of the main researchers with differing research focuses, the project aims at five goals: The implementation of radiological digital imaging methods (Multislice - Computed Tomography/MSCT and Magnetic Resonance Imaging/MRI) as main diagnostic tools in forensic pathology, ultimately leading to "minimally invasive autopsy" analogous to "keyhole surgery" in clinical medicine. With use of imaging techniques (CT and MRI), photogrammetry and three-dimensional optical measuring techniques, a reliable, accurate geometric presentation of all forensic findings (the body surface as well as the interior) should be achieved. With this technology, exact forensic-medical reconstructions can be performed. The application of photogrammetry and 3D surface scanning in forensic reconstruction in addition to radiological imaging techniques as well as the development of biomechanical models. Producing and validating of a post-mortem biochemical profile by means of MR-Spectroscopy to estimate, for example, the time of death. The implementation of an imaging database as a technical basis of a "center for competence in virtual autopsy".