Search

In conventional gunshot injuries to targets containing bone the resulting osseous fragments do not precede but follow the bullet on its further way through adjacent soft tissues. The term "secondary projectiles" for the particles does not appear to be appropriate since they are not believed to have enough energy necessary for creating their own wound channels away from the temporary cavity. Former studies have shown that in angled shots to glass panes the bulk of splinters does not follow the bullet's trajectory: The majority of the glass fragments, especially the larger ones, move at right angles to the pane shot through. The aim of the presented study was to examine whether osseous fragments behave like glass splinters in angled shots to flat synthetic bone. In this context, it should also be assessed, whether the bone fragments might act as secondary projectiles in rare cases. To answer these questions, test shots were fired to composite models consisting of flat synthetic bone and ballistic gelatin. Pistol cartridges 9 mm Luger were used to fire the shots which were video-documented with a high-speed camera. Afterwards, the composite models underwent CT examination and macroscopic inspection. Video-documentation revealed that the larger bone particles from the perforation site move at a roughly right angle from the osseous sheet into the gelatin, causing an eccentric bulge of the temporary cavity. The smaller bone fragments were also lodged along the bullet's path, predominantly in the cracks radiating from the permanent wound channel., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Based on findings in the brain stems of SIDS victims, the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene has been discussed to be associated with SIDS., Methods: In the largest study to date, we investigated the promoter length (5-HTTLPR) and intron 2 VNTR polymorphisms in 274 cases and 264 controls and the Ile425Val polymorphism in 65 cases and 64 controls. Moreover, the methylation of the internal promoter region was investigated in 35 cases and 14 controls., Results: For 5-HTTLPR, we observed a trend towards an association of allele L (58.8% vs. 53.4%) with SIDS and significant results were observed after stratifying for age, season at death, and prone position. Nevertheless, when pooling all published data, a significant association of allele L with SIDS is confirmed (p: 0.001). For the intron 2 VNTR polymorphism, no significant differences were observed. After pooling, a significant accumulation of the rare allele 9 was observed in SIDS (2.1% vs. 0.6%; p: 0.018). For the Ile425Val polymorphism, no differences were observed., Conclusion: We conclude that genetic variation at this gene might be of some importance in SIDS. Epigenetic analysis of the internal promoter, however, revealed no influence on the relative risk to succumb to SIDS., Impact: This is the largest study published up to now on 5-HTT gene polymorphisms and SIDS. Polymorphisms in the 5-HTT gene appear to contribute (although to a small degree) to the risk to die from SIDS. There is no evidence that a methylation of the promoter region is of impact for the etiology of SIDS., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

From the first half of the twentieth century to the present day, injuries and fatalities from captive-bolt livestock stunners are a major topic in forensic medicine. The vast majority of cases account for suicides with the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital regions being the most common sites of entrance (in descending order of frequency). Due to the limited length of the bolt, the corresponding wound channel within the braincase is only several centimeters long. It has been a controversial subject for a long time, whether the skin-bone complex punched out by the conically grooved end of the steel rod may act as a "secondary projectile" being propelled beyond the actual path of the bolt. To answer this question, experimental shots from various types of captive bolt-guns were fired to simulants. Video-documentation employing a high-speed motion camera showed that the punched-out pieces of skin and bone did not move further than the bolt. Thus, a secondary extension of the total wound channel could not be observed. However, the suction effect caused by the bolt's rearward movement may induce a slight retrograde displacement of the skin-bone complex.

Crossbows are ancient distance weapons, which in modern times have been largely replaced by guns. Nowadays, they are used for target shooting and in some countries also for hunting. Bolts/arrows fired from a crossbow have a rather low initial velocity but a high penetration capacity comparable to bullets shot from firearms. A considerable number of homicidal, suicidal, and accidental crossbow injuries have been reported up to the present day both under clinical and medicolegal aspects. A recent suicide case gave rise to a systematic study of entrance wounds from field-tipped arrows with shafts made of carbon. Composite models (ballistic gelatin covered with pig skin) served as targets. As found in the suicide case presented, the roundish entrance wounds were characterized by a slit-like severance of the skin surrounded by a pronounced blackish ring resembling the bullet wipe in gunshots. The material deposited circularly on the margins was subjected to the sodium rhodizonate test, SEM/EDX analysis, histological examination, and Raman spectroscopy. As expected, the elements typical of gunshot residues could not be detected. The element pattern of the black deposits was consistent with that of the arrows' tips and carbon shafts. Histological examination revealed that the carbonaceous material was deposited on the abraded wound margins suggesting a mechanism of friction causing the transfer of material. In conclusion, the presence of a black-margined roundish skin wound does not necessarily mean a bullet wipe. The casuistic part of the paper deals with a suicidal shot to the chest in a 48-year-old man, inflicted with a field-tipped carbon arrow which perforated both the heart and the thoracic aorta. In addition, a review of the literature on fatal crossbow injuries is presented.

Most gunshot entrance sites on human victims are localized in clothed body regions. Except for the use of lead-free ammunition, a positive color reaction of the sodium rhodizonate test indicates a primary target hit by the bullet. Any lead residue pattern in the area around the entrance hole allows approximate conclusions as to the firing distance in close and intermediate range shots, whereas the presence of a bullet wipe denotes an entrance site. A criminal case gave rise to an experimental study to clarify whether a blood-soaked garment being shot at as a primary target may lack a bullet wipe around the entrance hole. Distant-range shots were fired with a semi-automatic pistol (Heckler & Koch, Mod. USP Compact, cal. 9-mm Luger) using cartridges with jacketed round-nose bullets and a Sinoxid primer containing lead styphnate. In fabrics saturated with fluid blood, a wide area around the bullet entrance was densely covered with rhodizonate-positive microparticles simulating gunshot residues (GSR) from a close-range shot. In shots to fabrics oversaturated with blood, a typical bullet wipe was lacking, whereas lead-containing particles were spotted in the periphery. The results are discussed with respect to the aberrant appearance of bullet entrance sites in blood-soaked fabrics.

In many countries, hanging is the most common suicide method. When a person is found hanged however, one always has to consider that the alleged suicide scene possibly covers up a homicide. In such cases, hanging may have been the actual method of killing or the victim may have been harmed by a different method and was subsequently hanged. Apart from the inspection of the scene, the autopsy findings are of great importance to differentiate between suicide and homicide. Up to now, a considerable number of cases have been observed in which suicide by hanging was wrongly assumed at first. In the case presented, there were some facts raising doubts about a suicidal act already at scene. Nevertheless the forensic pathologists erroneously assumed that the findings on the corpse were consistent with suicide. The later elucidation of the case as a homicide by manual strangulation with subsequent suspension of the victim was essentially based on a new assessment of the autopsy findings in a second opinion., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A muzzle imprint mark is a highly diagnostic finding, which indicates a contact shot. In many cases, it also provides additional information on the type of the weapon used and on the way in which it was held at the time of firing. In semi-automatic pistols, some constructional elements constituting the muzzle plane move to the rear together with the slide, which may prevent them from causing a corresponding imprint close to the bullet entrance hole. The present study comprises 30 consecutive autopsy cases of fatal contact shots to the head inflicted with semi-automatic pistols. The imprint marks accompanying the entrance wounds were compared with the muzzle ends of the respective weapons both before and after retracting the slide. It turned out that in a considerable number of cases (3 out of 30), the retractable parts were not depicted or only to a minor degree as components of the imprint mark. In order to validate the presumed correlation, experimental shots were fired to composite models using pistols in which the movable and the stationary parts forming the muzzle plane were dyed with different paints. Thus, it could be demonstrated that the muzzle imprint preferentially mirrors the front sides of the stationary parts such as the barrel end, the recoil guide, and the gun housing. Immediately after discharge, the slide and the ballooning skin of the bullet entrance site move in the same direction. The stationary parts of the weapon block the expansion of the skin bulging towards the muzzle, so that the skin gets firmly pressed against them. The dynamic interaction between the gun and the entrance region resulting in a characteristic imprint mark could be visualized by the use of a high-speed motion camera recording test shots to different composite models.

In humans, most fatalities from slaughterer's guns are suicides committed by persons familiar with stunning devices. The great majority of cases accounts for shots to the head, especially the frontal region. Only a small number of two subsequent cranial shots from captive-bolt humane killers have been reported up to now. In the case presented by the authors, a suicide by simultaneous shots to the head fired from two different makes of captive-bolt guns (one of them having two separate outlets for the combustion gases in the muzzle plane, the other type having no additional openings) is described for the first time. One of the shooting devices remained in firm contact with the left hand and produced patterned staining from rust corresponding to the surface relief of the gun. The medicolegal and criminalistic aspects of this unique case are discussed with reference to the pertinent literature.

It is a well-known fact that blank cartridge guns can cause penetrating and even fatal injuries when discharged in contact or at very close ranges. In these cases, the gas jet perforates the skin leaving an entrance wound similar to that from a conventional gun. In order to investigate the wound morphology in contact shots from blank firearms, test shots were fired at composite models of pig skin and gelatin blocks using three different calibre 9-mm blank cartridge handguns (two pistols and one revolver) and two types of ammunition. It turned out that the penetrating gas jet produced roundish skin defects resembling bullet entrance holes. Small skin particles from the perforation site were dispersed in the underlying simulant where radiating cracks containing greyish gunshot residues indicated the original expansion of the inrushing combustion gases. Apart from the size of the permanent entrance hole in the skin and the final position of the displaced tissue particles, the penetration depth of the gas jet was determined. Under the specified conditions of the test shots, the zone of mechanical destruction within the simulant was 2.2 to 6.1 cm in length, which illustrates the injuring potential of contact shots inflicted with blank cartridge handguns.

To investigate if there is any correlation between the bullet design and the respective dimensions of the abrasion collar and the skin defect in gunshot entrance wounds, experimental studies were performed on dyed pig skin. For the test shots, .38 Special revolver cartridges with three different bullet designs (round nose, wadcutter, and truncated cone) were used. With the help of an image editing program in combination with an image analyzing system, the area size of the abrasion rings and the skin defects was calculated automatically. The measured values differed significantly depending on the bullet type: the abrasion ring areas were largest in shots with round nose bullets and smallest with wadcutter projectiles. With regard to the entrance hole size, the relationship was inverse. The results are discussed with reference to the pertinent literature concerning the dynamic interaction between bullet and skin.

A 50-year-old man was found hanged on the concrete dam of a water reservoir. The ligature, a braided rope made of synthetic fibres, was attached to a lamp on the dam crest. The length of the rope between the fastening point and the noose was about 4m. At autopsy, stretchmark-like intimal tears of the carotid arteries were found, but the full pattern of (internal) decapitation and severance of the cervical spine was not present. The right wrist showed two almost circular, ribbon-like abrasions initially suggesting that the man had been tied before hanging. When the ligature was examined, horny scales adhered to the noose, but were also detected away from the slip-knot. By means of a DNA analysis the epidermal traces could be assigned to the deceased. The overall picture of the findings suggested that the man had roped down from the dam crest with the ligature wrapped around his right wrist thus abrading the skin., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

On 30 Jan 2015, two avalanche accidents happened in the Black Forest (at the foot of the 1493 m high Feldberg and the Herzogenhorn situated next to it), in which experienced ski tourers--a 58-year-old woman and a 20-year-old man--were completely buried by snow masses. Both victims were recovered dead after nearly 2 hours under the snow. The avalanches were promoted by strong snowfalls, snowdrift by the wind and steep downwind slopes. One of the victims, the 20-year-old man, underwent a forensic autopsy. The findings suggested death by protracted asphyxiation with agonal hypothermia. A mechanical traumatization with internal injuries suspected by the emergency doctor at the scene could not be confirmed at autopsy. The possible causes of death in the avalanche are discussed using the reported case as an example and in reference to the relevant literature.

On 26 Nov 2012, a serious fire occurred at Neustadt/Black Forest in which 14 persons in a sheltered workshop died and 10 other individuals were injured. The fire was caused by the unbridled escape of propane gas due to accidental disconnection of the screw fixing between a gas bottle and a catalytic heater. Deflagration of the propane gas-air mixture set the workshop facilities on fire. In spite of partly extensive burns the fatally injured victims could be rapidly identified. The results of the fire investigations at the scene and the autopsy findings are presented. Carboxyhemoglobin concentrations ranged between 8 and 56 % and signs of fire fume inhalation were present in all cases. Three victims had eardrum ruptures due to the sudden increase in air pressure during the deflagration.