Indoor postmortem animal interference by carnivores and rodents: report of two cases and review of the literature

Abstract

We present two cases of nearly total skeletization of the exposed face and neck due to indoor postmortem animal interference and a review of the literature. In the case of a 61-year-old man, inspection of the damaged soft tissue margins revealed serrated edges and parallel cutaneous lacerations caused by rats. In the case of a 40-year-old woman, postmortem examination revealed v-shaped and rhomboid-shaped tunneled wounds in the damaged soft tissue caused by a pit bull terrier. The autopsy in both cases identified natural causes of death. While the morphological feature of postmortem soft tissue artifacts caused by rodents can be ascribed to animal incisors, stab wound-like punctured wounds are characteristic of canine dentition of carnivorous origin. Additional morphological criteria for injuries of carnivorous origin are linear scratch-type abrasions from claws in the vicinity of the injuries. In cases of indoor postmortem animal interference damage is primarily caused to the exposed areas of the body, no self-defense injuries can be found on the deceased's body, only a small amount of blood or the total absence of bloodstains should be expected at the scene, an inquiry of pets living free in the house or wild animals having possible access to the scene should be conducted and rodent excrement found at the scene can give the investigator further information.

Forensic implications of carnivore scavenging on human remains recovered from outdoor locations in Greece

“…Hyoids are recovered rarely because they are swallowed during the consumption of the anterior neck organs. 1,2 Axial skeletal elements are generally found scattered close to the original body location. Vertebrae, having irregular shapes, are most commonly gnawed on the bodies, the spines and transverse processes.…”

Indoor postmortem animal scavenging - a case report

“…9,10 It is also common to find linear scratch abrasions from claws, in the location of the injury. 1,9 This is in contrast to postmortem scavenging in cases of dogs attacking humans with an intension of killing thereby showing tearing and slashing of tissue. 11 Thus the identification of the animals that caused the injuries is made mainly on the basis of the pattern of the injuries.…”

“…Paw prints; blood stains; animal feces at the scene; pets having easy access to the corpses in the house and presence of rodents nests in the close vicinity are few other findings that have been reported in cases of indoor animal scavenging. 1,2,9,13 Therefore during investigations of deaths which are suspected to have been occurred indoor and have injuries to the exposed area of the body, a special notes of the factors such as presence/absence of self-defense injuries on the deceased body, amount of blood present in the scene, presence of paw prints deriving from animal's paws, accessibility to the pets/ wild animals, presence of rodent nests in the immediate surroundings must be made while taking a detailed assessment of the scene of the questioned case.…”

Forensics in dermatology: Part I

“…Claw marks in the form of linear abrasions may be seen near the wound. 22 Bodies may also be damaged by the infiltration of insects. Different insects are attracted to the body at different times after death.…”