The autopsy that takes place in Chapter 4 in Chronicle of a Death Foretold is quite significant in establishing the brutality and carelessness that surrounds the murder of Santiago Nasar. Father Carmen Amador is ordered to perform the "unforgiving" autopsy. He describes the event to the narrator years later as a "massacre." Prior to the autopsy, Father Amador received the message from Clotilde Armenta that the Vicario brothers were planning to kill Nasar, and he tells the narrator that he didn't know what to do about the planned murder. Later, he forgets to tell anyone about the premeditated crime because the bishop was going to arrive (Chapter 3). It is ironic that Amador, a priest, is later tasked to perform the autopsy that he is neither skilled to perform nor wants to perform. In essence, the result of Nasar's death does become Amador's responsibility through the autopsy.

The religious motif is further emphasized during the autopsy. Nasar had "a deep stab in the right hand...It looked like a stigma of the crucified Christ" (76). Nasar appears to be sacrificed to restore Angela Vicario's honor. The autopsy is witnessed by many of the townspeople: It was also a public spectacle with curious onlookers "ranged about the schoolhouse windows" (76). The people who want to witness the spectacle can also be compared to those who witnessed Christ's crucifixion, emphasizing the role of the townspeople, their inaction and voyeurism.

Lastly, the brutality of the scene is emphasized by the wounds, the weapons used to kill Nasar, and the instruments used to perform the autopsy. The brothers used "pig knives" to stab Nasar and "seven of the several wounds were fatal" (75). These knives become a symbol of his premeditated death and the "ferocity of Santiago Nasar’s fate." The autopsy is performed with some limited medical instruments and "craftsmen's tools." Nasar's body becomes an "empty shell" as his identity has become completely destroyed by the murder and even more so by the autopsy.