Review article

The Burning Question, Michael Simmonds, Adam Smith Institute, 1989, pp. 43, £9.00.     

Working Smarter on Cold Cases: Identifying Factors Associated with Successful Cold Case Investigations

Cold case squads have garnered much attention; however, they have yet to undergo significant empirical scrutiny. In the present study, the authors interviewed investigators and reviewed 189 solved and unsolved cold cases in Washington, D.C., to determine whether there are factors that can predict cold case solvability. In the interviews, new information from witnesses or information from new witnesses was cited as the most prevalent reason for case clearance. The case reviews determined that there were factors in each of the following domains that predicted whether cases would be solved during cold case investigations: Crime Context, Initial Investigation Results, Basis for Opening Cold Case, and Cold Case Investigator Actions. The results suggest that it is possible to prioritize cold case work based on the likelihood of investigations leading to clearances.     

The characterisation of two halogenated cathinone analogues: 3,5-difluoromethcathinone and 3,5-dichloromethcathinone

Australia has seen an increase in the importation and use of drugs that are marketed and sold as "Legal Highs". These compounds have largely tended to be various cathinone analogues, with 4-methylmethcathinone the most prominent to date. In January 2009, unknown samples were submitted for analysis along with a large seizure of 3-fluoromethcathinone as part of a police operation. The samples were analysed and determined to be 3,5-difluoromethcathinone and 3,5-dichloromethcathinone. These compounds were synthesised and characterised. The GC-MS data of the samples and their N-acetyl derivatives, NMR, vapour-phase and condensed-phase IR for these previously unreported compounds are presented. This analytical data will enable laboratories to confirm the presence of these compounds in the absence of commercially available reference standards.     

The acetaminophen experience in south Florida

Toxicology records of the Dade County Medical Examiner Department were reviewed for the years 1972 to 1981. Any case in which acetaminophen was detected, regardless of the cause of death, was included in the study. Of 95 cases where acetaminophen was detected, no trends were observable in age, sex, or race. Acetaminophen deaths have increased in recent years, probably because of increased marketing of products containing this substance. Some two thirds of the cases involved suicides or accidental deaths, with 40 cases being directly attributable to overdose with a variety of drugs. It is suggested that acetaminophen may be a useful indicator of polydrug overdoses.