Recovery and evaluation by cytologic techniques of trace material retained on bullets

Fragments of tissue, intermediate targets, and debris related to firing are embedded in the fine striations and deforming edges of bullets. Because most of these fragments are too small to visualize and process as histologic sections, this material is usually washed away when the projectiles are cleaned following removal at autopsy. By preserving the rinsing material that results from routine cleaning of projectiles, it may be possible to evaluate adherent material from the bullet by cytologic techniques, including filter preparations, cell blocks, and smears of macroscopic tissue fragments. Bullet-wash cytology produced cellular elements, tissue fragments, and inert material from intermediate targets. Different tissue elements could be documented with a given projectile; this information could be utilized to document the path of a bullet through the body or intermediate target. This initial study suggests that low- and high-velocity projectiles produce different types of tissue debris, with much more fragmentation and scarcity of cellular components in the high-velocity rounds. Inert material, resulting from intermediate targets, such as clothing, as well as gunshot residue on the bullet or debris from the barrel could be distinguished on preparations. There was a difference in tissue representation of adherent material on the bullet; connective tissue, mesothelial coverings, and fragments from organs with higher elastic and cohesive properties were seen with much greater frequency on the filters than were loosely cohesive and friable organs such as liver and spleen. The cytologic preparations from projectile washings reflect both the path taken by the bullet and the ballistic damage to the organs. Thus, the cytologic evaluation of bullet washings may be useful in the incorporation of gunshot wound evaluation to support documentation of the trajectory of the projectile.     

Accidental sharp force fatalities--beware of architectural glass, not knives.

In a retrospective evaluation of 799 consecutive autopsies of victims of sharp force performed between 1967 and 1996 in Münster and Berlin, only 18 cases (2.3%) were classified as accidents. A typical pattern was present in 15 cases: inebriated adults (1.4-3.6g/l BAC) fell into an architectural glass surface in the form of a door or window (12 cases), an aquarium, a mirrored wardrobe or a telephone cell. Another man fell into a large drinking glass. Many victims in this group showed multiple scratches, abrasions and superficial incisions as well as one or more deep tear/cut/puncture injury. The wound margins can be clean-cut or irregular and abraded. Death was mostly caused by exsanguination except for one case of air embolism and one case of cerebral injury. The fatal injuries were produced by large and dagger-like slivers of glass, by sharp-edged fragments of glass remaining inside the frame or by a portion of glass which fell down and acted in a way similar to a guillotine. Ordinary types of flat glass were involved in all cases and it is not until the impact that sharp fragments or cutting edges are produced. So the motion of the person commonly provides the force necessary for a fatal injury. This was also true for the remaining two cases not involving architectural glass. A farmer suffered cerebral injury from a fall into the long prong of a pitch fork, and the wounding agent was a knife in only one case. A man who stated that he had fallen into the knife in his hand died from pneumonia after inadequate therapy following a single stab injury to the periphery of the left lung and liver. Accidents where the victim is killed by his own knife therefore appear to be extremely rare.     

Forensic radiology with cross-section modalities: spiral CT evaluation of a knife wound to the aorta

We describe the extraordinary case of a penetrating knife wound to the aorta. The localization of the tip of the knife was documented with a Computed Tomography examination and subsequent two- and three-dimensional reconstruction. Based on this case report, the utilization of computed tomography in forensic science and its potential for vizualization are discussed.     

Chemical trace XRF analysis to detect sharp force trauma in fresh and burned bone

Forensic anthropologists may not always be able to differentiate heat-induced fractures from fractures with other aetiologies, namely sharp force traumas, with clear nefarious impact on medico-legal conclusions. The objective of this study was to experimentally investigate if blade chemical traces are transferred to defleshed bone tissue and if they remain there after a burning event. This was accomplished by prompting sharp force traumas in 20 macerated fresh pig ribs with five different instruments, namely a stainless steel knife, an artisanal knife and a ceramic kitchen knife, a small axe and a large axe. Another pig rib was used as control, not being subjected to any trauma. All instruments were probed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to establish the composition of each blade. Bone samples, both pre-burned and post-burned (at 500 °C, 700 °C, 900 °C and 1100 °C), were then probed by XRF. All sharp force instruments left detectable chemical traces on pre-burned bone, although not in all samples. Furthermore, traces were still detected after experimental burning in most cases. Potentially, XRF can provide relevant information about the aetiology of fractures in burned and unburned bones, although the effect of soft tissues and diagenesis must still be investigated.     

Suicide by skull stab wounds: a case of drug-induced psychosis

Suicide by stabbing to the head and/or driving sharp objects into the skull is of extreme rarity. This article reports the case of a 27-year-old man, who committed suicide by multiple knife stabs and cuts to the head, the torso, one shoulder and the forearms. Autopsy showed a perforating wound of the skull and the 10-cm long broken blade of the knife being still embedded in the right temporal lobe of the brain. The deceased had no history of psychiatric illness but was currently treated by mefloquine, a quinine derivative associated with a high rate of psychiatric adverse effects. Toxicological examination confirmed a recent intake of mefloquine together with chloroquine, another antimalarial drug. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a completed suicide with very strong evidence of mefloquine implication. Discussion focuses upon mefloquine-induced psychiatric disorders and highlights the importance of performing toxicological investigations in cases of unusual suicides.     

Immunocytochemical examination of biological traces on knife blades

In cases of penetrating stab wounds by different knives it is highly relevant to prove which knife caused which injury, especially if one of the injuries was lethal. This is possible by immunocytochemical examination of cellular material remaining on the injuring blade because some organs have organ-specific antigen determinants such as alpha-l-fetoprotein in the liver cells or cardiac troponin I in the heart muscle cells, to which antibodies can bind. Even when penetrations occur through several layers of clothing, enough cells from the injured organ remain on the blade of a knife to allow immunohistochemical examination. These cells can be collected by means of adhesive film or wiping the blade and can be stained immunocytochemically. The organ specificity of the examined proteins allows proof of their origin. The present study shows that immunocytochemical alpha-l-fetoprotein and cardiac troponin I staining of the cells remaining on a knife blade enables proof of whether the knife blade injured the heart or the liver, or both.     

Suicide by pencil

We report an unusual suicide, committed with a common pencil. A 72-year-old male inflicted himself a penetrating thoracic wound while being hospitalized for a hip prosthesis operation. Although the patient was immediately operated, the cardiac injury appeared to be fatal. Cases of suicidal penetrating wounds of the anterior chest wall are rare and they are mostly inflicted by knives, glass fragments, or other sharp instruments. The potential danger of a pencil should be taken into consideration, especially in psychiatric hospitals and imprisonment facilities. We examined the legislation in Italy and Finland concerning the regulation of privacy in special care institutions.     

Detection of bone and bone-plus-bullet particles in backspatter from close-range shots to heads.

A victim was shot in the head with a 9-mm Smith & Wesson pistol using Winchester Silvertip hollow-point ammunition. Of interest in this case was the distance from the muzzle of the weapon to the victim's head, since the wound characteristics were equivocal for firing distance. Two other handguns (revolvers) were involved in this shooting, in addition to a revolver owned by the victim. The handguns were sampled using tape lifts, and the casings were sampled by washing them in distilled water, followed by vacuum filtration of the washing water through 0.2-microns-pore Nuclepore filters. These materials were examined by scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Calcium-phosphorous (bone) particles were detected on the 9-mm Smith & Wesson pistol, on two casings found at the scene, and on one of the revolvers. Two of the calcium-phosphorous particles on the casings had associated bullet fragments. Test shots on live pigs destined for slaughter showed that bone particles are a feature of backspatter from close-range shots to heads. Contamination of nearby surfaces by bone fragments and bone-plus-bullet fragments, as well as other organic debris, appears to be quite heavy.     

Striation patterns in serrated blade stabs to cartilage

Stab wounds were made in porcine cartilage with 13 serrated knives, amongst which 4 were drop-point and 9 straight-spine; 9 coarsely serrated, 3 finely serrated and 1 with mixed pattern serrations. The walls of the stab tracks were cast with dental impression material, and the casts photographed together with the knife blades for comparison. All 13 serrated blades produced an "irregularly regular" pattern of striations on cartilage in all stabbings. Unusual and distinctive blade serration patterns produced equally distinctive wound striation patterns. A reference collection of striation patterns and corresponding blades might prove useful for striation pattern analysis. Drop-point blades produced similar striations to straight-spine blades except that the striations were not parallel but rather fan-shaped, converging towards the wound exit. The fan-shaped striation pattern characteristic of drop-point blades is explained by the initial lateral movement of the blade through the cartilage imposed by the presence of the drop point shape. It appears that the greater the overall angle of the drop point, the shorter the blade length over which the drop point occurs, and the closer the first serration is to the knife tip, the more obvious is the fan-shaped pattern. We anticipate that micro-irregularities producing individualising characteristics in non-serrated drop point blades, provided they were located at the tip opposite the drop point, should also show a fan-shaped pattern indicative of a drop point blade. The examination of the walls of stab wounds to cartilage represents an under-utilised source of forensic information to assist in knife identification.     

Fatal Penetrating Injuries Sustained by High-pressure Water Jet Unit

The high-pressure water jet unit is a generator of frequent burst of water jets. The water jet reaches very high speeds and is able to cause wounds similar to those of high-velocity projectiles. In the presented case, unusual fatal injuries sustained by water jet are presented. Operating with the unit, an untrained worker accidentally activated a high-pressure water jet unit, and the extremely high pressure of water liberated the jet unit from his hand and whirled it around him. A jet stream of water ran across his body and caused fatal penetrating injuries in the femoral region. The edges of the wound were mainly sharp with contusion rings on the skin beyond the edges. Exploring the inside of the canals during the autopsy, the left femoral artery and vein were found to be completely transected. The resemblance to a firearm entry wound and the severity of the internal injury make it a noteworthy entity.     

玻璃刺创形态学特点的初步研究

目的研究玻璃刺创的形态学特点。方法分别用3个厚度为0．31cm带尖状突起的啤酒瓶残端及3块厚度为0．29cm有尖的普通窗玻璃碎片按设定的不同方向刺击带皮猪肉组织,重复此过程3次,形成198例创口,观察、编号、拍照、测量各创口。结果198例创口的整体形态可分为5种类型,即“工”型、“”型、“”型、“上”型与“一”型,各型在不同刺击方向的分布上存在差异,其中前4种为主要类型,共约占总数的93％,其共同点为在损伤的中部出现了一段与损伤整体走向垂直的创口,啤酒瓶残端所致垂直创口的长度为0．31±0．Olcm（x±s）,窗玻璃碎片所致垂直创口的长度为0．29±0．Olcm（x±s）。结论损伤中部有与损伤整体走向垂直的短创口是玻璃刺创中易出现的一种形态学特点,垂直创的长度与致伤玻璃的厚度具有一致性。     

Case report of accidental stab wound to the heart

A 33 year-old Polish field-worker was found by his colleagues kneeling in front of his trailer, with a bloody stab wound in the heart region. In spite of prompt surgical intervention, the man died from his injury a few hours later. Upon examination of the dead man's trailer a blood-smeared vegetable-knife was found in the sink, and on the floor, a pullover with a slit-like cut. On the wall hung a jacket on a hook with a cut in the inner surface of the left breast pocket but not in the outside layer. The examination of the clothes, the autopsy and a reconstruction of the sequence of events led to the following conclusion: The knife had been placed into the breast pocket of the jacket with the tip facing downwards. As the man put down a sack of potatoes, the knife hooked into a pre-existing gap in the sack and was driven into the chest cavity by the pressure weight of the heavy sack.     

Souvenir knife: a retained transcranial knife blade

Upon necroscopic examination of a homeless male found comatose in the street and pronounced dead at a medical center 12 hours later, a sharp tip of a knife lodged in the right parietal region of his skull was incidentally discovered. The blade transected the diploe and penetrated the cerebral cortex. Subsequent police investigation revealed that this was the remnant of a stabbing attempt on his life several months prior to his death. The cause of death was determined to be unrelated to the metallic blade fragment, thus making it a truly incidental and rare finding of a "souvenir knife." Nevertheless, since the injury sustained in the stabbing was potentially life threatening, the investigation into that assault was reopened.A case report is presented, along with a brief review of the literature on "souvenir objects."     

Forensic analysis of soils using single arbitrarily primed amplification and high throughput sequencing

Soil is a remarkably complex, diverse, ubiquitous, and easily transferred material which can reveal highly useful information to assist forensic investigations. In spite of its potential usefulness, the use of genetic soil analysis appears to be currently underestimated in forensic practice. Herein we report on the use of single arbitrarily primed amplification followed by high throughput sequencing of DNA fragments for the comparison of soil samples. The composition and functional attributes of soil microbial communities from three different locations were compared and shown to be different based on the metagenomic sequencing data obtained.     

A single fatal penetrating chest wound from shattered wind-blown glass

The great majority of penetrating wounds of the thorax result from firearms and bladed weapons. Penetrating wounds of the heart and of the great vessels still have a high immediate mortality. While penetrating chest wounds occasionally result from fragments of glass; most severe and fatal wounds from glass result from one's falling into or through architectural (plate) glass, sustaining wounds of abdomen or extremities, or both. A single, fatal penetrating chest wound resulting from a wind-blown fragment of glass is distinctly uncommon. The unique case of this type reported herein is that of a 12-year-old youth who was struck in his home in the left anterior chest by a single, sharp, slender fragment of glass blown from a window which shattered in a thunderstorm. This resulted in a rapidly fatal penetrating wound involving thoracic viscera. The forensic pathologist must thoroughly investigate and document such accidental deaths, modifying his/her autopsy procedure as necessary for these purposes and to avoid accidental injury at the autopsy table.     

Injuring potential of drinking glasses

At a party of a sports club, an argument started between two groups of young men, in the course of which one of the persons involved threw a beer glass hitting a young man of the other group, who collapsed with a profusely bleeding wound. Although resuscitation measures were initiated immediately, the victim died at the scene due to exsanguination from the completely severed left external carotid artery in combination with the aspiration of blood. Tests with drinking glasses thrown at a skull-neck model suggested that an undamaged beer glass thrown at the head of the victim could not cause the fatal injuries on the neck because of its splintering behaviour. In fact, it seemed that the beer glass had been damaged prior to throwing it and that its sharp edges perforated the skin on hitting the neck.     

Characteristics of stab wounds inflicted by knives with the gear-sharpened blade

The authors present the results of an experimental study designed to estimate the damage to biological and non-biological objects inflicted by the knife blades having the gear-type sharpening. It was shown that a knife with such sharpening leaves edges of the damage of characteristic shape and outline. The results of the study testify to the expediency of further studies on the damaging action of knives considered in the present paper.     

Death caused by a chain saw--homicide, suicide or accident? A case report with a literature review (with 11 illustrations)

A 31-year-old farm worker was found dead beside a chain saw. Based on the testimony of a colleague and because of the situation at the site, the police very soon presupposed an accident. It was assumed that the victim had slipped on the sudden ground and had been killed by the subsequent swerving of the saw when starting the engine. The body presented with a deep lacerated wound at the right side of the nape of the neck, including the first cervical vertebra, the medullary canal and the right mandible as well as multiple fissures of the occipital bone, which were attributed to repeated forceful use of the chain by another person. A second wound with relatively sharp edges and a tangential fissure in the corresponding area of the skull raised the suspicion that an axe or some similar device had been used. Although the forensic medical findings seemed to give clear evidence of external violence, no further investigations have been carried out so far by the authorities.     

Alteration of the Death Scene After Self‐stabbing: A Case of Sharp Force Suicide Disguised by the Victim as a Homicide?

This paper reports a case of a 72‐year‐old woman who was found dead in her bedroom with a 4 cm vertical stab wound in the abdomen. A bloodstained knife was found in the top drawer of her bedside table. The clothes worn by the victim showed no damage. A bloodstained vest and a sweater with frontal incisions were found far from the victim, in the bathroom and in the bedroom respectively. Several bloodstains were found in every room of the apartment. The evidence found during the forensic examination and, in particular, the Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, led the investigators to determine the manner of death, being consistent with a suicide with a long‐lasting physical activity after self‐stabbing. This report describes an unusual case of “disguised suicide,” in which the victim tried to cover‐up the suicide by changing her clothes and concealing the weapon, in the last minutes of her life.     

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

Sharp force trauma is a common homicide method. The weapon is typically a knife, which is easily accessible and does not require special skills. We have analyzed all 471 sharp force homicides in Denmark during 1992–2016 with special focus on aspects that are relevant to forensic pathologists, including the distribution of wounds and organ injuries. Most homicides were committed inside with a kitchen knife. The front left thorax was the most common area to be affected by sharp force trauma. In 18.9% of the victims, there was only one sharp injury, the majority on the thorax. The most common trajectory for stab wounds was directly posterior with no deviation to the sides or up/down followed by directly anterior. The heart (including pericardium) and lungs (including hemo- and pneumothorax) had injuries in more than 75% of the victims. 67% of victims were males. Female victims had more sharp force injuries and defense wounds than male victims. Most females were killed in domestic homicides (73.7%), most commonly in partner killings (56.4%). In contrast, many male victims were killed in a setting of nightlife/intoxication (34.0%) most by a friend/acquaintance delivering a few stab wounds. The results clearly show strong sex differences in both victims and offenders. This could be useful for shaping policies and public opinion, and as a route for understanding the developments in interpersonal violence. In the narrow setting of death investigation, our results will provide an evidence-based approach to understanding the injury patterns in sharp force homicide.