Assessment of post‐mortem submersion interval using total aquatic decomposition scores of drowned human cadavers

Dalal, Jyoti; Sharma, Sapna; Bhardwaj, Tapeshwar; Dhattarwal, S.K.

doi:10.1111/1556-4029.15220

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 48 publications

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“…Once again, it is recommended that Silver and Bronze personnel collect all aquatic fauna that they observe associated with the corpse. In contrast, it is recommended to preserve approximately 40% of sampled specimens from stream-bottom remains in properly labelled vials containing 95% ethanol to minimise their decay during storage [ 71 , 92 ].…”

Section: Crime Scene and Health Pathology Facilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Summary of Concepts, Procedures and Techniques Used by Forensic Entomologists and Proxies

Bambaradeniya,

Magni,

Dadour

2023

Insects

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Forensic entomology is a branch of forensic science that incorporates insects as a part of solving crime. Insect-based evidence recovered at a crime scene can be used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval, determine if a carcass/corpse has been relocated, and contribute to the cause and manner of death. The current review summarises the stepwise usage of forensic entomology methods at a crime scene and in the laboratory, including specimen collection and rearing, identification, xenobiotic detection, documentation, and referencing previous research and casework. It also provides three standards for the collection of insects when attending a crime scene. The Gold standard attributes to a forensic entomologist (FE) who is likely to be well-trained attending a scene. The subsequent standards (Silver and Bronze) have been added because the authors believe that this information is currently missing in the literature. The purpose is so that an attending crime scene agent/proxy with some basic knowledge and some simple tools can recover almost all the insect information required by an FE to make the best estimation of the minimum postmortem interval.

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Section: Crime Scene and Health Pathology Facilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Summary of Concepts, Procedures and Techniques Used by Forensic Entomologists and Proxies

Bambaradeniya,

Magni,

Dadour

2023

Insects

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Effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair: a preliminary study for estimating personal profiles using micro-segmental analysis of corpse hair

Kuwayama,

Miyaguchi,

Kanamori

et al. 2023

Forensic Toxicol

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Purpose Micro-segmental hair analysis (MSA), which enables detailed measurement of the distribution of drugs in a single hair strand, is useful for examining the day of death and drug use history of a person. However, corpses are often found in severe environments, such as soil and freezers, which affect the drug contents in hair. Therefore, we examined the effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair as a preliminary study to estimate personal profiles using MSA of corpse hair. Methods Four hay-fever medicines (fexofenadine, epinastine, cetirizine, and desloratadine) were used as model drugs to evaluate drug stability in hair. Reference hair strands consistently containing the four medicines along the hair shaft were collected from patients with hay-fever who ingested the medicines daily for 4 months. The hair strands were placed in chambers with controlled temperatures (− 30 to 60 °C) and relative humidities (ca. 18 % and > 90 %), exposed to light (sunlight and artificial lights) or buried in soil (natural soil and compost). Results Sunlight and soil greatly decomposed the hair surfaces and decreased the drug contents in hair (up to 37 %). However, all analytes were successfully detected along the hair shaft, reflecting the intake history, even when the hair was exposed to sunlight for 2 weeks and buried in the soil for 2 months. Conclusions Although the exposure to sunlight and storage in soil for long times made drug-distribution analysis difficult, MSA could be applied even to hair strands collected from corpses left in severe environments.

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Decomposition of partially submerged remains: a study on the reliability of insect colonisation for PMI/PMSI estimation

Bray,

Conlan,

Harvey

2024

Forensic Sci Med Pathol

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The terrestrial decomposition of remains and associated insect colonisation have been highly researched, and recently studies have expanded to investigate the aquatic decomposition of remains. However, there are instances where remains may experience both terrestrial and aquatic conditions simultaneously due to partial submersion in tidal areas, or influx or efflux of water caused by flood or drought. Decomposition and post-mortem interval (PMI) research to date has focused on remains wholly exposed to either terrestrial or aquatic environments, with limited consideration of dual simultaneous exposure. This study was conducted in artificial lentic environments to ascertain how simultaneous zones of terrestrial and aquatic environments on a single body may impact decomposition. Three trials were completed over a period of 12 months, with each trial consisting of 12 stillborn piglets; three partially submerged head exposed, three partially submerged abdomen exposed, three fully submerged aquatic controls and three terrestrial controls. Decomposition stage and rate were inferred from physical characteristics and insect activity. The decomposition rate of the exposed region of each piglet was significantly faster than the submerged region. The exposed zone of each was colonised by insects and reached skeletonization, whereas the submerged zone without orifice exposure had no insect activity and had a significantly slower decomposition rate. This indicated the ability to utilise terrestrial entomological approaches to estimate a minimum PMI for the exposed portion of the remains. However, without the ability to determine the amount of time the remains may have been submerged for, this estimation represents only a minimum PMSI, with the possibility the remains were submerged for a period of time without insect access and colonisation.

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Assessment of post‐mortem submersion interval using total aquatic decomposition scores of drowned human cadavers

Cited by 5 publications

References 48 publications

A Summary of Concepts, Procedures and Techniques Used by Forensic Entomologists and Proxies

A Summary of Concepts, Procedures and Techniques Used by Forensic Entomologists and Proxies

Effects of temperature, humidity, light, and soil on drug stability in hair: a preliminary study for estimating personal profiles using micro-segmental analysis of corpse hair

Decomposition of partially submerged remains: a study on the reliability of insect colonisation for PMI/PMSI estimation

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