Injuries of the female genitalia in cases of sexual assault

Sexual violence is a global problem that particularly affects women and children. A retrospective analysis of 390 clinical-forensic examinations and 120 autopsies regarding injuries of the female genitalia in cases of sexual violence was performed. In the majority of cases no injuries of the female genitalia were found. Autopsy cases showed significantly more (and more serious) injuries of the genitalia than clinical forensic examinations (43 % vs. 25 %; p = 0.0004). Predominantly found were injuries of the external anogenital area, mostly tears or soft tissue lesions. In the current literature, data regarding the rate of injuries in victims of sexual violence vary strongly and their comparability is limited. Regarding the reconstruction of an offence, a forensic examination with an appropriate documentation of the injuries is evidently crucial.     

Superimposition of ante- and post-mortem photographs of tattoos as a means of identification--a case report

With the rising number of tattooed people tattoos have become increasingly important for the identification of unknown corpses. Tattoos can be helpful in both phases of the identification process, either by providing clues to the identity of an unknown person or body or as a means of verifying a postulated identity. In the presented case, an ante-mortem photograph of a tattoo was available although it was of poor quality. The respective skin region of the body was photographed from the same angle as the tattoo on the ante-mortem photograph. When superimposing the two photos, the tattoos were found to match and the identity of the body could be verified.     

A Randomized Trial of Probation Case Management for Drug-Involved Women Offenders

This paper reports findings from a clinical trial of a probation case management (PCM) intervention for drug-involved women offenders. Participants were randomly assigned to either PCM (n=92) or standard probation (n=91), and followed for 12 months using measures of substance abuse, psychiatric symptoms, social support and service utilization. Arrest data were collected from administrative datasets. The sample (N=183) included mostly African American (57%) and White (20%) women, with a mean age of 34.7 (SD = 9.2) and mean education of 11.6 years (SD = 2.1). Cocaine and heroin were the most frequently reported drugs of abuse, 86% reported prior history of incarceration, and 74% had children. Women assigned to both PCM and standard probation showed change over time in the direction of clinical improvement on 7 of 10 outcomes measured. However, changes observed for the PCM group were no different than those observed for the standard probation group. Higher levels of case management, drug abuse treatment, and probationary supervision may be required to achieve improved outcomes in this population.     

Forensic applications of sodium rhodizonate and hydrochloric acid: a new histological technique for detection of gunshot residues

Demonstration of the presence of lead residues deriving from gunshot in skin and underlying tissues is essential for the correct forensic analysis of numerous legal cases. Optical microscopy remains the fastest, cheapest diagnostic technique, even though its sensitivity and specificity are poor because of the scarce quantity of histological tissue that can be examined and possible environmental lead pollution. To confirm the presence of lead from gunshot residues, we applied to histological sections of human skin a technique proposed by Owens and George in 1991 for macroscopic detection of lead on the clothing of shooting victims, involving a reaction with sodium rhodizonate and subsequent confirmation by color change on application of HCl. Our results demonstrate the technical possibility of using this macroscopic technique even on histological samples and support the need for further studies on a larger series of cases correlated with the type of ammunition and firing distance.     

Y-haplotype screening of local patrilineages followed by autosomal STR typing can detect likely perpetrators in some populations

The male-specific, human Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) are very useful in forensic analysis and human evolution studies. The authors report two sexual crime cases in which the perpetrators were successfully traced using Y-haplotype screening of local patrilineages followed by autosomal STR typing. First, several main local patrilineages from local cases were investigated using Y-STR haplotyping, aimed to find the pedigrees whose haplotypes were identical or similar to those of the crime scene samples. Then, several key suspects were defined from the screened pedigrees, and autosomal STR typing was performed to identify the perpetrator of the crime. The application of Y-haplotype screening of local patrilineages followed by autosomal STR typing in these two cases demonstrates its usefulness for solving sexually related crimes in certain populations.     

Age estimation and the developing third molar tooth: an analysis of an Australian population using computed tomography

The third molar tooth is one of the few anatomical sites available for age estimation of unknown age individuals in the late adolescent years. Computed tomography (CT) images were assessed in an Australian population aged from 15 to 25 years for development trends, particularly concerning age estimation at the child/adult transition point of 18 years. The CT images were also compared to conventional radiographs to assess the developmental scoring agreement between the two and it was found that agreement of Demirjian scores between the two imaging modalities was excellent. The relatively wide age ranges (mean ± 2SD) indicate that the third molar is not a precise tool for age estimation (age ranges of 3-8 years) but is, however, a useful tool for discriminating the adult/child transition age of 18 years. In the current study 100% of females and 96% of males with completed roots were over 18 years of age.     

Full STR profile of a 67-year-old bone found in a fresh water lake

DNA extraction from and DNA typing of fresh water-exposed aged bone specimens poses a challenging task and is not very well examined. This study presents a new method to extract typable DNA from such problematic bone specimens. The procedure comprises low-heat drilling and cryogrinding, mild lysis conditions, and silica-column-based DNA cleaning. DNA quantity is assessed by quantitative PCR prior to short tandem repeat (STR) amplification. The procedure was employed with a 67-year-old tibia bone fragment recovered from a fresh water lake and succeeded to produce a full STR profile using the MPX-SP1 and MPX-SP2 mini-STR kits and a partial profile with 12 successfully amplified STRs using the Identifiler STR kit. The new method for the extraction of DNA from aged fresh water-exposed bone specimens presented herein was successfully applied to prepare DNA of sufficient quality and quantity to generate a full STR profile.     

Visualizing latent fingerprints on color-printed papers using ultraviolet fluorescence

Laser detection of latent fingerprints on a white paper has been performed, previously. Ultraviolet fluorescence from various kinds of printer toner and ink used for home printers were measured to study fluorescence imaging of fingerprints on a color-printed white paper. The experimental system consisted of a nanosecond pulsed tunable laser and a cooled CCD camera. Excitation wavelengths are 230 and 280 nm. Fourteen printers consisting of three color laser printers, three color inkjet printers, five monochrome laser printers, two monochrome copy machines, and a color copy machine were tested. Toner and ink of most printers exhibited fluorescence in the region from 360 to 550 nm. In most cases, clear fluorescence images were obtained by time-resolved imaging with a band-pass filter and 280-nm excitation. However for toners from laser color printers that showed strong fluorescence, better results were obtained with 230-nm excitation. Latent fingerprints on a photograph page and a black-character page of a newspaper were also imaged.