Saw marks are common in cases and autopsies associated with dismemberment and/or mutilation. However, due to difficulties in using current methods to determine types of saws based upon their respective tool marks on/in bones, this topic has not been well researched or published. These difficulties become even greater if determinations are court challenged due to a lack of substantiating quantitative measurements taken during an autopsy or even at the scene in a documented real time manner. Using a quasi-experimental design, the author used three types of saws (a circular saw, a regular saw, and a handsaw) to cut a piece of dry bovine (cow) bone and measured their tool marks separately using a hand-held digital device. The preliminary results indicate the ability to differentiate the three types of saw marks based upon eight quantifiable criteria. The findings from this study suggest real time quantitative measurements may be available for saw marks during both the processing of an autopsy as well as in the field.
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