Sharp force trauma analysis in bone and cartilage: A literature review

Love, Jennifer C.

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.03.035

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Injuries to bone tissue and cartilage are important factors when determining manner of death and how much force was used during the stab (6,17). In certain situations, it can yield information about the type of weapon used (33).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

Thomsen

Hougen

Villesen

et al. 2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Sharp force trauma is a common homicide method. The weapon is typically a knife, which is easily accessible and does not require special skills. We have analyzed all 471 sharp force homicides in Denmark during 1992-2016 with special focus on aspects that are relevant to forensic pathologists, including the distribution of wounds and organ injuries. Most homicides were committed inside with a kitchen knife. The front left thorax was the most common area to be affected by sharp force trauma. In 18.9% of the victims, there was only one sharp injury, the majority on the thorax. The most common trajectory for stab wounds was directly posterior with no deviation to the sides or up/ down followed by directly anterior. The heart (including pericardium) and lungs (including hemo-and pneumothorax) had injuries in more than 75% of the victims. 67% of victims were males. Female victims had more sharp force injuries and defense wounds than male victims. Most females were killed in domestic homicides (73.7%), most commonly in partner killings (56.4%). In contrast, many male victims were killed in a setting of nightlife/intoxication (34.0%) most by a friend/acquaintance delivering a few stab wounds. The results clearly show strong sex differences in both victims and offenders. This could be useful for shaping policies and public opinion, and as a route for understanding the developments in interpersonal violence. In the narrow setting of death investigation, our results will provide an evidence-based approach to understanding the injury patterns in sharp force homicide.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

Thomsen

Hougen

Villesen

et al. 2019

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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“…Sharp instruments (i.e., objects that are edged, pointed, and/or beveled) hold the potential to create many types of marks on bone surfaces in both the perimortem and postmortem intervals (Love, 2019; McCardle & Lyons, 2015; Reichs, 1998; Symes, Chapman, Rainwater, Cabo, & Myster, 2010). Here, we distinguish four types of sharp‐force BSMs: cut marks, punctures, chop marks, and saw marks.…”

Section: Classes Of Bone Surface Modifications and Their Identificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cruel traces: Bone surface modifications and their relevance to forensic science

Egeland

Pickering

2020

WIREs Forensic Science

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The reconstruction of perimortem and postmortem events is of critical importance to criminal investigations. In many cases, the information required for these reconstructions can be accessed through the analysis of skeletal remains. One particular class of skeletal data—trauma to the surfaces of bones, or bone surface modifications (BSMs)—can reveal much about the perimortem and postmortem intervals. While the study of BSMs originated within the fields of paleontology and archeology and was only later integrated into forensic science, a fruitful interdisciplinary exchange of data and methods is now commonplace. BSMs from thermal alteration, sharp‐force trauma, terrestrial and aquatic scavengers and predators, bacteria and fungi, insects, weathering, and sediment abrasion can supply investigators with valuable information about the agents and events of a corpse's deposition, including weapon type, local environmental conditions, the postmortem interval, and the presence, temperature(s), and/or length(s) of thermal exposure. Based on a review of this rich body of literature, we argue that (a) all associations between a BSM and its alleged source must rest on observational cause‐and‐effect studies; (b) secure identifications of BSMs should rely both on the intrinsic features of the modifications themselves and relevant contextual data; (c) the scientific validity of BSM research depends, ultimately, on rigorous blind‐testing and the establishment of error rates; and (d) researchers need to make a concerted effort to enhance interanalyst correspondence through objective definitions, measurements, and/or codes of BSM features. The most promising path forward lies in the combination of digital image analysis and multivariate predictive modeling. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology > Trauma Analysis Forensic Anthropology > Taphonomic Changes and the Environment Forensic Anthropology > Time Since Death Estimation

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“…This brief overview of the experimental literature highlights the variable nature of experimental results pertaining to saw mark analysis. Love [11] also highlights the fact that there is yet to exist a method that provides appropriate guidance with regards to the most useful characteristics.…”

Section: Exit Chippingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has proven that hand-powered saws leave a number of identifiable marks that can identify the class of saw utilized in cases of human dismemberment [5,6,[8][9][10]. Class characteristics indicate a specific tool type, such as knife or saw, while individual characteristics focus on differentiating a specific individual weapon [11]. Forensic investigators are focused on identifying these characteristic marks left on the bone which can assist in determining the sequence of bodily dismemberment and narrow the field of potential weapons [4,10,12].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, toolmark analysis has been challenged as lacking specific, standardized protocols for analysis and training, lacking both reliability and repeatability testing, and relying on a limited scientific knowledge base that is the result of experiential, rather than experimental, knowledge [15,16]. In response to such criticisms, researchers have become focused on assessing the applicability of saw mark analysis and providing predicted error rates surrounding saw mark characteristics [1,5,11,13,17,18]. Although research concurs on the usefulness of false start kerf width and shape [13,17], the research surrounding the variability of cut surface characteristics (pull-out striae, tooth hop, harmonics, and entrance shaving) remains inconclusive.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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An assessment of the reliability of cut surface characteristics to distinguish between hand‐powered reciprocating saw blades in cases of experimental dismemberment

Martlin

Rando

2020

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Criminal dismemberment is most commonly committed with a variety of hand‐powered saws. These saws leave characteristic marks upon the bone that can assist in the identification of the weapon utilized. The current study provides frequencies of presentation of ten cut surface characteristics and examines intra‐ and interindividual variation between three hand‐powered reciprocating saws. Pig radii were used as a proxy for human remains. 42 cut surfaces were created with three hand‐powered reciprocating saws by the same researcher. Cut surface characteristics were assessed macroscopically, microscopically and with Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), as well as photographed with Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). Cut surface polish is the only characteristic that demonstrates consistently significant difference between saws. Five characteristics demonstrate some variation between blades: entrance shaving, breakaway spurs, breakaway notches, pull‐out striae, and tooth hop. Four characteristics demonstrate no difference between blades: cut surface striation shape, cut surface striation regularity, harmonics, and exit chipping. Tooth hop is the most reliable characteristic for differentiating between blades in this study, while pull‐out striae demonstrates high intra‐individual variability and a low frequency of presentation making it unreliable for differentiating between saw blades. Cut surface striations, exit chipping, and breakaway spurs occurred with the highest frequencies and were reliable for determining direction of blade progress and blade stroke, but were not reliable for differentiating between saw blades. Harmonics were absent. Further research is necessary to create large databases of known saw mark examples with known intra‐ and interindividual variability rates and error rates.

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Sharp force trauma analysis in bone and cartilage: A literature review

Cited by 26 publications

References 26 publications

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

Sharp Force Homicide in Denmark 1992–2016

Cruel traces: Bone surface modifications and their relevance to forensic science

An assessment of the reliability of cut surface characteristics to distinguish between hand‐powered reciprocating saw blades in cases of experimental dismemberment

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