An Unusual Case of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault Using Aromatic Solvents

Abstract

This report documents a case of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) under the influence of solvents. The victim was a 13-year-old female. Upon contact with law enforcement, she was still confused and could hardly explain the facts. She told authorities that she had been kidnapped 4 h previously when two individuals with covered faces put a cloth soaked in a solvent over her mouth. She spent a few hours in a room, during which she lost consciousness. The girl awakened semi-nude in the street with memory loss. No alcohol was present in the subject's body; no odor of alcohol was detected on the subject's breath. No lesions were observed during a gynecological exam. A blood sample was taken with the intent to investigate the use of chloroform or similar anesthetics. Toxicological analysis of the victim's blood revealed the presence of 7.6 mg/L of benzene, 24.8 mg/L of toluene, and 0.6 mg/L of xylene (mixture of isomers). As for other analytical findings, diazepam (0.02 mg/L) was also found. The aromatic solvents involved in this case were detected using gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC-FID) and confirmed using GC-mass spectrometry (MS) in full scan mode after liquid-liquid extraction of the whole blood sample. Quantitation of the aromatic solvents was carried out using GC-FID. Diazepam was detected using GC with nitrogen-phosphorus detection (NPD) and confirmed using GC-MS with full scan mode after solid-phase extraction of the whole blood sample using Bond-Elut Certify columns. Quantitation of diazepam was carried out using GC-NPD. No other drugs, including ethanol, were detected. Recoveries for benzene, toluene, and xylene (mixture of isomers) in whole blood at 5 mg/L were 89.2%, 90.8%, and 93.4%, respectively. Intraday precisions were 5.3%, 5.0%, and 4.9%, respectively, and interday precisions were 12.1%, 11.6%, and 11.5%, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) were 30 and 100 microg/L, respectively. The linearity of the blood calibration curves was excellent with r(2) values of> 0.999 (range 0.1-10 mg/L). Recovery for diazepam in whole blood at 0.5 mg/L was 88.2% with intraday and interday precisions of 2.0% and 10.8%, respectively. The LOD and LOQ were 6 and 20 microg/L, respectively. The linearity of the blood calibration curve was excellent with r(2) values of > 0.999 (range 0.1-2 mg/L). We want to alert other toxicologists about new or unexpected products that should be taken into account when the surreptitious use of substances in DFSA is suspected.

The Use of Volatile Substances in Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review

“…Similarly, the offender in the case report by Gaillard et al was speculated to have procured the chloroform from his company, since a 2.5-liter chloroform bottle was found opened at his workplace [ 16 ]. The two remaining studies included the use of aromatic hydrocarbons; the case report by Martínez et al refers to the use of a combination of toluene, benzene, xylene, diazepam, and nordiazepam [ 12 ], while toluene alone was used in a single case of an alleged sexual assault found in the forensic service Northern Ireland (FSNI) database in the study reported by Hall et al [ 15 ].…”

“…The identities of the offenders in the remaining three studies were unknown. The case reported by Martínez et al only mentions two individuals with their faces covered [ 12 ].…”

“…Four (n=4) out of the five studies provided the victim’s sociodemographic characteristics [ 12 - 13 , 16 - 17 ] (Table 3 ).…”

“…Non-oral routes of administration have also been reported; inhaling volatile substances, such as chloroform and aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons, is one of the rare methods used to sedate the victim [ 10 - 11 ]. These compounds provoke the central nervous system's (CNS) depression and sedation like alcohol [ 12 ]. This form of DFSA is difficult to pursue without the victim’s knowledge of being assaulted, making it an unusual choice by a perpetrator [ 13 ].…”

Forensic Science

“…Postmortem ethanol concentrations were determined in pericardial fluid and bone marrow aspirate by HS-GC/ MS (340). Aromatic solvents detected in the blood of a drugfacilitated sexual assault victim were detected using GC-FID and GC/MS in full scan mode after liquid-liquid extraction (341). The precision of breath alcohol testing in the field using the Intoxilyzer 5000C and the effect of truncation has been studied (342).…”