Though it is known that the water content of biological soft tissues alters mechanical properties, little attempt has been made to adjust the tissue water content prior to biomechanical testing as part of standardization procedures. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of altered water content on the macro and micro scale mechanical tissues properties. Human iliotibial band samples were obtained during autopsies to osmotically adapt their water content. Macro mechanical tensile testing of the samples was conducted with digital image correlation, and micro mechanical tests using atomic force microscopy. Analyses were conducted for elastic moduli, tensile strength, and strain at maximum force, and correlations for water content, anthropometric data, and post-mortem interval. Different mechanical properties exist at different water concentrations. Correlations to anthropometric data are more likely to be found at water concentrations close to the native state. These data underline the need for adapting the water content of soft tissues for macro and micro biomechanical experiments to optimize their validity. The osmotic stress protocol provides a feasible and reliable standardization approach to adjust for water content-related differences induced by age at death, post-mortem interval and tissue processing time with known impact on the stress-strain properties.

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Estimating the time since death of the deceased is a main goal in forensic investigations, but this can be challenging due to contradictory results derived from different investigations at the scene of death. We present a case of a 78‐year‐old woman, found dead in a small forest with broad‐leaved trees, whose husband had a history of domestic violence. Routinely performed investigations, such as postmortem rectal temperature and lividity, yielded inconsistent time since death results between only a few and longer than 20 h. This difficulty was most likely caused by high ambient temperatures of up to 38.0°C, which negatively influenced the informative value of the applied nomogram method. Additionally, performed entomological investigation of fly maggots (Lucilia illustris) recovered from the corpse and the assessment of heart pacemaker data revealed consistent and incontrovertible results. The presented case highlights the benefits of information provided by entomological investigations and data evaluation of cardiac implantable electronic devices and the combined use of the two techniques.

Zusammenfassung Ein erfahrener Jäger kehrte nach einem Abendansitz auf Rehwild nicht nach Hause zurück. Er wurde am folgenden Morgen von seinem Sohn auf einem Feld, in einer Blutlache liegend, tot aufgefunden. Neben ihm lag ein toter Rehbock. Der Jäger wies eine stark blutende Bauchverletzung auf, welche die Polizei zur Spekulation veranlasste, der Rehbock hätte diese Verletzung mit seinem Geweih verursacht. Zudem lag zwischen dem Jäger und dem Kadaver ein Gewehr mit zerbrochenem Schaft. Im vorgestellten Fall wurden mehrere sicherheitsrelevante Aspekte im Umgang mit Schusswaffen und Grundregeln der Jagd ignoriert, was zu einem tödlichen Jagdunfall führte.

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