Supermarket tampering: cocaine detected in syringes and in fruit

Product tampering, as detailed by the Federal Anti-Tampering Act of 1983 (1), is a felony punishable by both fine and imprisonment. The rationale for product tampering ranges from pranks and attention seeking acts to extortion, terrorism, and homicide. One such case submitted for analysis involved four medical syringes found in a supermarket and suspected of being used to tamper with various products. One of the syringes was found piercing a pear while the other three syringes were found with needles exposed in other parts of the supermarket. Microscopic analysis was used to collect residue from the syringe barrels and the pear. A multidiscipline approach involving SLM, PLM, including microchemical analysis, FTIR, and GC/MS analyses, performed on the residual liquid found in the syringe barrels and in the suspect pear, confirmed the presence of cocaine. This multidisciplinary approach is often necessary when there is a possible health risk to the public and rapid response is important. With this approach, it was quickly determined which drugs or poisons were used in this tampering.     

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the presumptive remains of Jesse James

We report here the results of mtDNA analysis of remains exhumed in July, 1995 from Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, Nebraska, that are thought to be those of Jesse James. The remains were poorly preserved, presumably due to wet and slightly acidic soil conditions, and insufficient DNA for analysis was obtained from two bone samples. However, two of four teeth, and two hairs recovered in 1978 from the original burial site on the James Farm, did yield reproducible mtDNA sequences. These mtDNA sequences from the teeth and hairs were all identical, suggesting that they came from the same individual; furthermore, this mtDNA sequence was identical to mtDNA sequences determined from blood samples from two maternal relatives of Jesse James. Therefore, either the remains are indeed those of Jesse James, or they are from an unrelated individual who, by chance, happens to have the same mtDNA sequence. To assess the probability that an unrelated individual would have the same sequence, we searched the forensic mtDNA database, and found that this sequence does not appear among the 2426 mtDNA sequences therein. Hence, the mtDNA analysis supports the identification of the exhumed remains from Mt. Olivet Cemetery as those of Jesse James.     

Evidence for use of electroshock devices

The authors tested whether use of an electro shock weapon (stun gun) leaves marks on skin which can be found in an exterior examination. On pig skin such marks could not be produced postmortally. An experiment on one of the authors caused reddish skin marks which persisted for about 2 h. Inability to act as promised by the weapons' manufacturers did not occur in our experiments, exactly as previously described by other authors. Use of an air tester which shoots barbed electrodes ought to produce bleedings if the electrodes actually penetrate the skin.     

Determination of drug levels in larvae of Protophormia terraenovae and Calliphora vicina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) reared on rabbit carcasses containing morphine

Two species of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were reared on tissues from rabbits administered different dosages of morphine. These species, Protophormia terraenovae and Calliphora vicina are among the first wave of insects colonizing a dead body. Two series of 3 rabbits were given dosages of 10, 20, and 40 mg/h of morphine over a 3 h period via ear artery perfusion. A morphine blood level plateau was attained after 1 h of perfusion. Two other rabbits were used as controls. Samples of tissues collected from rabbits using a coelioscopic technique were determined to have morphine concentrations similar to those encountered in human overdoses and were correlated with dosages of morphine administered. All samples from control rabbits were negative for morphine. Larvae and puparia of both species were regularly collected from each rabbit for toxicological analysis. Concentrations of morphine in larvae reared on rabbit carcasses containing morphine were significantly lower than concentrations found in the tissues. There was a decrease in concentration in morphine observed in transition from feeding 3rd instar larva to puparium. A correlation between larval concentration and tissue concentration was found only in feeding 3rd instar larvae.     

Once again: risk of injury caused by blank pistols

The nature and extent of the use of blank pistols in Hamburg (according to the Hamburg crime statistics about 300 to 400 such cases per year; 34 cases involving head and neck wounds from 1989 to 1999 were investigated at our institute; among these 8 suicides, no homicide) as well as patterns of injuries caused by close distance blank pistol shots were analysed. 7 of these cases are described in detail. The results of our studies corroborate the warning statements made by many criminological and medico-legal experts regarding the danger inherent in these allegedly harmless weapons. Blank cartridge pistols can, when shot from a close distance, cause most severe injuries involving penetration into body cavities and bodily organs (especially in the head and neck), and even perforation of the skull. Therefore, we call for a much stricter control of weapons of this kind.