The Body as a Crime Scene

2018 ◽  
pp. 331-348
Author(s):  
Michael Maloney
Keyword(s):  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body

When a suicide becomes a forensic enigma: The role of hanging marks and tools of suspension

2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santo Gratteri ◽  
Pietrantonio Ricci ◽  
Pietro Tarzia ◽  
Vittorio Fineschi ◽  
Matteo A Sacco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body ◽  
Manner Of Death ◽  
External Examination ◽  
Node Position

Death by hanging is asphyxiation when the body is suspended by means of a ligature. Most deaths by hanging are suicides, though occasionally they are accidental or a homicidal event. The characteristics of the hanging marks depend on the ligature used, the dynamics and on the node position with respect to the neck. When the crime scene is contaminated, the hanging mark must be checked with the type of suspension and ligatures used to establish how the hangings took place. We report on 20 cases (2013–2016) where the bodies were moved at or from the crime scene. We analysed the features of hanging marks, the tools of suspension and the ligatures employed in each case. Judicial inspections and an external examination were also carried out. Analysis of hanging marks enables the pathologist to clarify the manner of death and the type of hanging, and tools used especially where the crime scene has been contaminated and the body has been moved.

scholarly journals Forensic Anthropology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Purva Wagisha Upadhyay ◽  
Amarnath Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Science ◽  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Forensic Anthropology ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
Physical Anthropology ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
The Body ◽  
Time Since Death ◽  
Characteristic Features

Physical anthropology has been making progress in the field of forensic science. Forensic anthropology is the study of identifying and establishing identity of the skeletal remains present at the crime scene. The purpose of the chapter is to throw a light on the field of forensic anthropology as it seeks data like age, sex, ethnic groups, and other characteristic features after the examination of the skeletal remains. Forensic anthropology helps in determining the manner and cause of death, and if the body is still in the decompositions stage, time since death can also be estimated. Advancement in forensic anthropology will not only help to solve the case but it will also increase the opportunity to work in this area. In this chapter, there is an explanation of some of the methods used in forensic anthropology for the analysis of identification and other purposes.

scholarly journals What Teeth Can Tell Us

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klara Janjić ◽  
Fabian Kanz ◽  
Hermann Agis
Keyword(s):  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body ◽  
Criminal Case ◽  
Deceased Person ◽  
Dead Person

Teeth are the hardest substance of the body and the gatekeeper of the digestive tract. They can survive extreme environmental conditions and they are the last part of the body that is decomposed after death. With these unique features, teeth are often the only remaining body part of a deceased person in a criminal case. Teeth can help investigators to find out who a dead person is, how old the person was, if the person was male or female, what kind of daily habits and lifestyle a person had and how the person died. Thus, the examination of teeth plays a key role in crime scene investigations and can help solve crimes.

scholarly journals Genetic Identification: A Review on Autosomal Single Nucleotide Polymorphism’s as Diagnostic Tool for Identifying Human

2021 ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Fahmida Kahtoon ◽  
Ruba Mustafa Elsaid Ahmed ◽  
Naveed Iqbal ◽  
Zahid Balouch ◽  
Fahad Saleh Alenazi
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Science ◽  
Molecular Genetics ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body ◽  
Genetic Identification ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Autosomal Snps ◽  
Single Nucleotide

Single Nucleotide polymorphisms are biological markers, helping researchers  to locate genes that are associated with various  diseases. When SNPs occur within a gene or in a regulatory region near a gene, they may play a more direct role in disease by affecting the gene's function. Most SNPs have no effect on health or development.Advancement in the field of genetics has resulted in the application of several techniques of molecular genetics in Pharmacogenomics. Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) holds the key in defining the risk of an individual’s susceptibility to various illnesses and response to drugs The body of human beings is composed of DNA which is a chemical molecule responsible for imparting phenotypic and genotypic characteristics to the individuals. The most recent advancement of molecular genetics, which has found application in forensic science, is the use of autosomal SNPs because they can provide information about the ancestral genetics of human beings.The primary aim of this research is to explore the significance of autosomal SNPs in forensic science through the identification of humans at a crime scene. A secondary qualitative research design has been selected for conducting this study. This secondary research is based on a systematic review of the studies which have provided an insight in the significance of autosomal SNPs in forensic sciences by using various Data search Engine. SNPs can be used in the forensic investigation for the identification of individuals present at the crime scene.

The Body as a Crime Scene

2020 ◽  
pp. 229-246
Author(s):  
Christine R. Ramirez ◽  
Casie L. Parish-Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body

scholarly journals Foot Pressure Distribution Variation in Pre-obese, Obese and Non-obese Individuals – Forensic Implications

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kewal Krishan ◽  
Tanuj Kanchan
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Distribution ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Obese Adult ◽  
Foot Pressure ◽  
Plantar Pressure Distribution ◽  
Hind Foot ◽  
Forensic Podiatry

The present commentary refers to recent research on the plantar pressure distribution variation in pre-obese, obese and non-obese adult individuals. While the studies observe significant changes in the contact area in the mid foot region i.e. instep region, no statistically significant differences were observed in the pressure distribution of the fore-foot and hind-foot region among the pre-obese and non-obese groups. Thus, the pressure distribution of the sole of the individuals depends upon the body weight of the individuals. In this commentary, we emphasize that the results of these studies; besides their clinical implications, have applications in forensic sciences especially in the field of forensic podiatry too which is concerned with the examination of pedal evidence recovered at the crime scene.

Body Disposal: Spatial and Temporal Characteristics in Korean Homicide

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1947-1966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonghan Sea ◽  
Eric Beauregard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
The Body ◽  
Dead Body ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Temporal Characteristics ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Characteristics ◽  
Practical Implications

This study explores the body disposal patterns in a sample of 54 Korean homicides that occurred between 2006 and 2012. Based on information collected by the police during their investigation, factors that could influence body disposal patterns were examined, such as homicide classification, intention, whether an accomplice was present, and offender mental disorder. Bivariate analyses showed that the majority of the victims who were disposed of were acquaintances of the offenders. Moreover, several offenders were more likely to dispose of the dead body “within hours” of killing the victim. Dead bodies were usually recovered in agricultural areas, forest/wooded areas, as well as residential areas. It was also noteworthy that, in 47 cases, the offender had knowledge of the geographic area where the body was dumped. In cases of “expressive” homicide, victims were more likely to be disposed of somewhere far away (e.g., over 40 km) from the crime scene, whereas “instrumental” homicide victims appeared to be disposed of somewhere closer (e.g., within 30 km) to the crime scene. Results are discussed in light of their practical implications for homicide investigations.

A systematic analysis of miRNA markers and classification algorithms for forensic body fluid identification

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Liu ◽  
Hongxia He ◽  
Zhi-Xiong Xiao ◽  
Anquan Ji ◽  
Jian Ye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Body Fluid ◽  
Tissue Specificity ◽  
Random Perturbation ◽  
Crime Scene ◽  
Body Fluids ◽  
The Body ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Fluid Identification ◽  
Extreme Stability

Abstract Identifying the types of body fluids left at the crime scene can be essential to reconstructing the crime scene and inferring criminal behavior. MicroRNA (miRNA) molecule extracted from the trace of body fluids is one of the most promising biomarkers for the identification due to its high expression, extreme stability and tissue specificity. However, the detection of miRNA markers is not the answer to a yes–no question but the probability of an assumption. Therefore, it is a crucial task to develop complicated methods combining multi-miRNAs as well as computational algorithms to achieve the goal. In this study, we systematically analyzed the expression of 10 most probable body fluid-specific miRNA markers (miR-451a, miR-205-5p, miR-203a-3p, miR-214-3p, miR-144-3p, miR-144-5p, miR-654-5p, miR-888-5p, miR-891a-5p and miR-124-3p) in 605 body fluids-related samples, including peripheral blood, menstrual blood, saliva, semen and vaginal secretion. We introduced the kernel density estimation (KDE) method and six well-established methods to classify the body fluids in order to find the most optimal combinations of miRNA markers as well as the corresponding classifying method. The results show that the combination of miR-451a, miR-891a-5p, miR-144-5p and miR-203a-3p together with KDE can achieve the most accurate and robust performance according to the cross-validation, independent tests and random perturbation tests. This systematic analysis suggests a reference scheme for the identification of body fluids in an accurate and stable manner.

Determining the Grounds for Conducting Examination through the Prism of Investigative Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Я. Ю. Конюшенко
Keyword(s):  
Crime Scene ◽  
The Body ◽  
Criminal Proceedings ◽  
Criminal Offense ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Procedural Code ◽  
Legislative Amendments ◽  
Legal Grounds

The problems of determining the grounds for such an investigative (search) action as an examination have been clarified. The purpose of the article is to determine the grounds for conducting an examination, as well as to distinguish problematic aspects that arise in the investigative practice at the initial stage of conducting an examination. It has been determined that there must be factual and legal grounds for conducting an examination. The factual grounds, in contrast to the legal ones, are not defined in the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine. However, their legislative specification is inexpedient, since it is impossible to predict all cases for this investigative (search) action in advance. The factual grounds are the data recorded in the materials of criminal proceedings, for example, that the body of a suspect, witness or victim has traces of a criminal offense or special signs, the detection of which is important for criminal proceedings. The legal ground for conducting the examination is the decision of the prosecutor (Part 2 of the Art. 241 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine). The study of investigative practice has revealed investigators, prosecutors’ violations of the procedure of conducting the examination, in particular failure to present the prosecutor’s decision and “substitution” of the examination with the crime scene search during the recording the person’s handwipes, which are the grounds for the court to declare the evidence inadmissible. The analysis of the investigative practice showed the need for legislative amendments in regard to conducting the examination. We should stipulate the possibility to conduct the examination by the order of an investigator, followed by notification of a prosecutor. The indicated propositions should be implemented in Part 2 of the Art. 241 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine.

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