Disposal of the Body after Murder Committed by Juvenile Offender

Disposal of the body by setting in concrete or sealing with bricks represents relatively rare form of corpse hiding after crime. We report a unique case of juvenile offender who killed his father and subsequently concealed the body. The victim had been reported missing by members of his family but the body was not found until 12 months later. Hidden in concrete body was well preserved allowing not only identification of the victim but also determination of the cause of death

Traffic Accidents with Fatally Injured Drivers in Southwestern Croatia

Traffic accidents represent a significant cause of death in Croatia, therefore being an important social and public- health problem. The aim of our study was to analyze the forensic characteristics of traffic accidents with fatally injured drivers in Southwestern Croatia. Study population included 277 fatally injured drivers, in a 10 year period (between 1994 and 2004). As for the gender, 92% were male and only 8% were female. The median age was 35 (13–86), with 53% of them aging 20–39, therefore being a part of the working population. Most of the accidents happened during the summertime (44%) and weekend (57%). Half of the fatally injured drivers (139) were sober (0.00 g/kg) and only 10 % (28) had blood alcohol level of 0.00–0.5 g/kg. Our results suggest that, as opposed to the current public opinion in Croatia, alcohol might not be the only crucial factor contributing to the drivers’ mortality in Croatia. As for the prevention measures, other factors (drug intoxication, fatigue…) should also be taken into consideration and further studied

Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities in Southwestern Croatia

Pedestrians are often considered the most vulnerable group of road users. The aim of our study was to analyze the forensic aspects of pedestrian traffic fatalities in Rijeka region. We analyzed pedestrian fatalities in a 5-year period (2002–2006), which included 44 fatally injured pedestrians examined at the Rijeka Institute of Forensic Medicine. The male:female ratio was 1:1. The median age was 57 (ranging from 2–95), with 66% aging over 60 and 89% aging over 40. The least of the accidents happened in July and during weekend. Almost 65% of the fatally injured pedestrians were sober (0.00 g/kg) and 24% had blood alcohol level of more than 1.50 g/kg. Our study showed that pedestrian fatalities in Rijeka region have specific forensic characteristics. These findings suggest the necessity of the specific approach and caution in planning of prevention measures for specific traffic fatalities, in this case pedestrian ones

The Methods of Committing and Alcohol Intoxication of Suicides in Southwestern Croatia from 1996 to 2005

Alcohol is the psychoactive substance most frequently associated with suicidal behavior.We hypothesized that the level of alcohol intoxication and the choice of specific methods of committing suicide are related. Suicides in the Southwestern Croatia in a 10-year period, especially regarding the method of committing and alcohol intoxication, were analyzed. Ten various methods of committing suicide were recorded. The average blood alcohol concentration at the moment of suicide was 0.68 g/kg with male, and 0.29 g/kg with female victims. The highest blood alcohol levels at the moment of suicide were recorded with suicides by explosive device (with the average blood alcohol concentration of 1.71 g/kg). This especially drastic method of suicide was rare in Croatia in a period prior to the Croatian Independence War (1991–1995), but its incidence significantly increased during the war and in a post-war period. These victims were not chronic alcoholics, but the excessive alcohol consumption occurred as a result of psychiatric disorders as a consequence of war stress they suffered

SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN EPILEPSY

Pojam „iznenadna smrt u epilepsiji“ (engl. Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy – SUDEP) označava iznenadnu, neočekivanu (bez obzira na postojanje evidentiranog napadaja), neposvjedočenu ili posvjedočenu smrt u bolesnika s epilepsijom, koja nije nastupila kao izravna posljedica neke traume. Budući da je iz definicije jasno da uzrok smrti nije očit, ne čudi što ovaj entitet u modernoj forenzici dobiva sve veću važnost. Naime, stručnjak sudske medicine u stvaranju svojih zaključaka rukovodi se uglavnom heteroanamnestičkim podacima, nekim tipičnim ozljedama i toksikološkom analizom. U sudskomedicinskoj praksi smrt pacijenta koji boluje od epilepsije može nastupiti tijekom izvođenja neke od svakodnevnih aktivnosti (poput vožnje ili ronjenja), što naglašava ulogu stručnjaka sudske medicine u utvrđivanju prirode smrti. Stoga smo pregledali literaturu o iznenadnoj i neočekivanoj smrti u epilepsiji, definirali termine, prikazali dosadašnje hipoteze o mehanizmu nastupanja smrti te ulogu suvremenih terapijskih pristupa. Epilepsija može biti povezana s mnogim patološkim stanjima, što na obdukciji treba prepoznati. S obzirom na to da se dijagnoza smrti zbog epilepsije temelji na metodi isključivanja, postoji mogućnost zanemarivanja prave incidencije takvih uzroka smrti.The term sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, regardless of the existing recorded attacks, represents a sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed death in patients with epilepsy, which did not occur as a direct result of some trauma or drowning. As it is clear by definition that the cause of death is not obvious, it is not surprising that this entity is becoming increasingly important in modern forensics. In the creation of this conclusions a forensic expert mainly uses heteroanamnestic data, some typical injuries and toxicological examination. In forensic practice, the death of a patient suffering from epilepsy can occur during daily activities (such as driving or diving), which emphasizes the role of forensic medicine ­experts in such cases. Therefore, we conducted a literature review on the topic of sudden and unexpected death in epilepsy, defined terms, and showed the current hypotheses about the mechanism of death, and the role of modern therapeutic ­approaches. In particular, we review the possible forensic implications and the importance of conducting autopsies

SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH IN EPILEPSY

Pojam „iznenadna smrt u epilepsiji“ (engl. Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy – SUDEP) označava iznenadnu, neočekivanu (bez obzira na postojanje evidentiranog napadaja), neposvjedočenu ili posvjedočenu smrt u bolesnika s epilepsijom, koja nije nastupila kao izravna posljedica neke traume. Budući da je iz definicije jasno da uzrok smrti nije očit, ne čudi što ovaj entitet u modernoj forenzici dobiva sve veću važnost. Naime, stručnjak sudske medicine u stvaranju svojih zaključaka rukovodi se uglavnom heteroanamnestičkim podacima, nekim tipičnim ozljedama i toksikološkom analizom. U sudskomedicinskoj praksi smrt pacijenta koji boluje od epilepsije može nastupiti tijekom izvođenja neke od svakodnevnih aktivnosti (poput vožnje ili ronjenja), što naglašava ulogu stručnjaka sudske medicine u utvrđivanju prirode smrti. Stoga smo pregledali literaturu o iznenadnoj i neočekivanoj smrti u epilepsiji, definirali termine, prikazali dosadašnje hipoteze o mehanizmu nastupanja smrti te ulogu suvremenih terapijskih pristupa. Epilepsija može biti povezana s mnogim patološkim stanjima, što na obdukciji treba prepoznati. S obzirom na to da se dijagnoza smrti zbog epilepsije temelji na metodi isključivanja, postoji mogućnost zanemarivanja prave incidencije takvih uzroka smrti.The term sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, regardless of the existing recorded attacks, represents a sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed death in patients with epilepsy, which did not occur as a direct result of some trauma or drowning. As it is clear by definition that the cause of death is not obvious, it is not surprising that this entity is becoming increasingly important in modern forensics. In the creation of this conclusions a forensic expert mainly uses heteroanamnestic data, some typical injuries and toxicological examination. In forensic practice, the death of a patient suffering from epilepsy can occur during daily activities (such as driving or diving), which emphasizes the role of forensic medicine ­experts in such cases. Therefore, we conducted a literature review on the topic of sudden and unexpected death in epilepsy, defined terms, and showed the current hypotheses about the mechanism of death, and the role of modern therapeutic ­approaches. In particular, we review the possible forensic implications and the importance of conducting autopsies

Drowning in forensic medicine – an overview and incidence during the 30 years period at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Criminalistics in Rijeka

Prikazom smrti do koje se dolazi utapanjem, čestom nesrećom u čijoj je podlozi asfiksija, pružamo jedinstven pogled na noviju literaturu, te se nadamo kako ćemo čitateljima približiti područje čije je proučavanje na hrvatskom jeziku gotovo nemoguće. Interes za ovu temu možemo objasniti s jedne strane epidemiološkim kretanjima; naime, utapanjem godišnje u svijetu strada velik broj ljudi, naročito djece; a, s druge strane, umiranje utapanjem često obuhvaća spektar najrazličitijih tema iz sudske medicine. Pri pisanju članka trudili smo se raditi jasnu razliku između utopljenika i tijela preminulih koji su izvađeni iz vode, razjasniti slijed patofizioloških zbivanja kod smrti utapanjem, te predstaviti tipične sudskomedicinske nalaze. Uz pregled područja „klasičnog utapanja“ prikazujemo i neke rjeđe a jednako interesantne smrti do kojih dolazi utapanjem. Uz činjenice navedene u međunarodnoj literaturi donosimo i podatke do kojih smo došli analizom dokumentacije prikupljene na Zavodu za sudsku medicinu i kriminalistiku u Rijeci.With an overview of deaths by drowning - a common accident based on asphyxia, we bring a unique perspective at the newer literature, bearing in mind our students, who we hope to bring closer to this obscure and hardly accessible topic. An interest in this topic can be explained, on the one hand, by epidemiology; namely, each year a large number of people, especially children dies in water; and, on the other hand, deaths by drowning often involve a spectrum of various topics from forensic medicine. While writing this article, we tried to make a clear distinction between drowned and bodies retrieved from water, to clarify the pathophysiological sequence of events of death by drowning, and present typical pathoanatomical findings. In addition to the "classic drowning", we also show some lesser and equally interesting deaths involving submersion in water. Along with the facts listed in the international literature, we also bring the data that we have collected through the thirty-year documentation, which will make our work more interesting and valuable

Forensic facial reconstruction – between art and science

Facijalna rekonstrukcija forenzička je disciplina koja ima ulogu u identifikaciji pokojnika. To je područje koje razvojem znanosti i digitalno-informacijske tehnologije dobiva sve važnije mjesto u društvenom životu i radu, jer se njegova postignuća koriste u forenzici, kriminalistici, arheologiji i antropologiji. Cilj rada jest utvrditi mjesto koje facijalna rekonstrukcija zauzima među ostalim forenzičkim identifikacijskim disciplinama. Praćen je njezin razvoj od početaka do najsuvremenijih dostignuća postignutih primjenom provjerenih metoda i standarda koji danas čine temelj svake uspješno provedene forenzičke facijalne rekonstrukcije. Članak opisuje vrste facijalne rekonstrukcije, postupke izvođenja rekonstrukcije i načine kojima se pristupa rekonstrukciji mekotkivnih struktura lica. Facijalna rekonstrukcija, koja kao znanstveni postupak datira od 19. stoljeća, dosad je usavršavana u skladu s napretkom novih tehnologija, no postoje postupci u forenzičkoj facijalnoj rekonstrukciji koje je, u sklopu suvremenih znanstvenih spoznaja i potreba, nužno podvrgnuti dodatnim analizama, modificirati, testirati njihovu točnost i pouzdanost, kako bi forenzičku facijalnu rekonstrukciju forenzička znanstvena sredina u potpunosti prihvatila.Facial reconstruction is a forensic discipline used during the identification of the deceased. The progressive development of science and digital information technology increased its role in human social life and work. The main application of facial reconstruction is in forensics, criminal law, anthropology and archeology. The aim of this paper is to define forensic facial reconstruction in context of other forensic scientific disciplines used for identification purposes. We present in the article the development of forensic facial reconstruction from its beginnings until the most important recent contributions in the field which are based on an accurate scientific methodology. The article also describes the best known forms of facial reconstructions and methodologies that are used today in facial soft tissue reconstruction. Facial reconstruction started to develop in the 19th century and has been further enhanced and studied ever since. However, there are some areas in the discipline of facial reconstruction that need further investigation, methods that need modifications and further testing of accuracy and reliability to allow facial reconstruction to be accepted as an important cofactor in the process of forensic identification

Biological traces at the crime scene

Biološki tragovi koji se pronađu na mjestu nekog događaja su ljudskog, životinjskog i biljnog porijekla. Većinom su ljudskog porijekla – dlake, kosa, krv, sperma, slina, znoj i suze, ali i nokti, zubi i komadići kosti. U raspravi o biološkim tragovima razlikujemo nesporne uzorke i sporne tragove. Nesporne uzorke uzimamo od osumnjičenih, oštećenih i svih ostalih osoba koje su mogle doći u kontakt s tragovima ili predmetima na mjestu događaja, a služe za isključenje. Sporni tragovi su tragovi pronađeni na mjestu događaja, na predmetima ili osobama koje su povezane s mjestom događaja ili počinjenim kaznenim dijelom, a čiji su identitet i uloga u događaju poznati. Prilikom uzimanja bioloških tragova potrebno dr pridržavati pravila antikontaminacije i sigurnosti rada s biološkim materijalom, uključujući i mjere samozaštite. Cilj je sudskomedicionskle obrade svih bioloških tragova osigurati dovoljnu količinu kvalitetne DNK, koja će se moćoi upotrijebiti u individualizaciji svakog pojedinog biološkog traga. Međutim, osim u tom analitičkom koraku kojim se iz traga nedvojbeno izvodi dokaz, biološki tragovi se mogu obraditi i nekim jednostavnijim, jeftinijim i manje pouzdanim metodama. U ovom preglednom članku obradili smo i sudskomedicinski značaj tragova sperme. Spermu najčešće analiziramo kod kaznenih djela protiv spolne slobode i spolnog ćudoređa. Analiza kose i dlaka se koristi, kako za povezivanje počinitelja s mjestom događaja ili žrtvom, tako i za razne toksikološke analize; a tragove sline koristimo i za određivanje krvne grupe.Biological traces found at the crime scene are of human, animal and plant origin. Among them the most commonly present are of human origin - hair, blood, sperm, saliva, sweat and tears, but also nails, teeth and bone bits. When considering biological traces as evidence, we distinguish incontestable and debatable traces. Incontestable samples are taken from suspects, alive victims and from all other people that may have been in contact with the traces or objects at the crime scene. Debatable traces are found at the scene of events, on objects or people associated with a venue or criminal offense, whose identity and role in the event is known. When taking biological traces, it is necessary to comply with the anti-contamination and safety rules regarding handling with biological material, including self-protection measures. The goal of processing biological traces that are usable as court evidence is to provide a sufficient amount of DNA, which can be used in the individualization of each biological trace. However, in addition to this analytical step by which evidence is undoubtedly drawn from the trace, biological traces can be treated with some simpler, cheaper and less reliable methods. In this review article, we also discussed the judicial significance of sperm traces. Sperm is often analyzed for crimes impingeing on sexual freedom. Hair samples can be used for toxicological analysis and to connect perpetrators to an event or victim

Aspergilloma in a Pulmonary Abscess – The First Manifestation of Malignant Bronchial Obstruction

We report a case of aspergilloma in a pulmonary abscess being the first manifestation of malignant bronchial obstruction. In our case, only the autopsy revealed that planocellular carcinoma was the real cause of aspergilloma. Malignant bronchial obstruction finally resulted in pulmonary abscess with secondary fungal colonization. The co-existence of these pathologies is uncommon, and the situation we report is extremely rare. Even in cases when there are no radiological, bronchoscopical or cytological signs of malignancy, as in our case, careful observation of these patients is necessary. Surgical approach should be considered whenever possible