Attempted Drug‐facilitated Sexual Assault—Xylazine Intoxication in a Child

Abstract

There are only a few cases of drug-facilitated sexual assaults on children reported in the literature so far. Here, a case of a four-year-old boy is presented. He was unconscious, and the accompanying adults reported that the child had been at a playground on his own. Returning home, he complained of having been stung and collapsed immediately. Urine and serum samples of the child were investigated. In the toxicological analysis, xylazine, a sedative and muscle relaxant used in animals, was detected. Subsequent quantification by GC/MS after solid-phase extraction revealed 0.053 mg/L xylazine in serum and approximately 0.63 mg/L in urine. Furthermore, the child was examined by a forensic medical specialist. Police investigations revealed that the godfather, who had been previously accused of sexual abuse of children, had injected the child with the drug, possibly in preparation for a shared bath.

Vortex‐assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction‐gas chromatography (VADLLME‐GC) determination of residual ketamine, nimetazepam, and xylazine from drug‐spiked beverages appearing in liquid, droplet, and dry forms

“…The percentage recovery of xylazine reached its peak when the aqueous medium was adjusted to pH 11, suggesting that alkaline conditions are preferred. The preferred pH adjustment has been reported to be alkaline conditions of pH 9.5 [52] and pH 9 [13] before xylazine extraction. Nimetazepam was best extracted when the spiked sample had a pH of less than 10.…”

“…The percentage recovery of xylazine reached its peak when the aqueous medium was adjusted to pH 11, suggesting that alkaline conditions are preferred. The preferred pH adjustment has been reported to be alkaline conditions of pH 9.5 [52] and pH 9 [13] In a study on the extraction of nimetazepam from vapes using LLE, a higher recovery percentage was achieved when the samples were in neutral conditions followed by acidic conditions, and the lowest was achieved under basic conditions [52]. To achieve optimum recoveries for all substances investigated in this study, the beverage samples were adjusted to pH 10 prior to the VADLLME procedure.…”

“…It has been listed as a controlled substance because of its misuse in various countries [12]. Xylazine has also been used for spiking drinks [13][14][15][16]. As an α2-agonist, xylazine has profound sedative and analgesic effects, making it a suitable candidate for DFCs.…”

Abuse of Xylazine by Human and its Emerging Problems: A Review from Forensic Perspective

“…A semi-structured interview reported that drug addicts who took xylazine and heroin together experienced a "high" sensation that could not result from consuming either drug alone (46). However, this combination was also reported to be potentially life-(GHB), ketamine, diazepam, and benzodiazepine (65) are common substances associated with DFC; however, xylazine was recently identified (16,17,66,67).…”

“…Drinks spiked with xylazine have been used to render elderly victims' unconscious before a robbery (17). An attempted sexual abuse case of a four-year-old boy, who involved the use of xylazine, was also reported, exemplifying the need for precautionary actions by the law enforcement authorities (66).…”