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Identification of wooden instrument by scanning electron microscopy from splinters left in victim
H C Adelman1, P C Peterson, L J Sorger
1St. Joseph Riverside Hospital, Warren, OH.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
|May 1, 1988
Abstract:
Case presentation concerns a twelve-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted, beaten, and murdered. A broken wooden broomstick was used in the attack to impale the victim through the rectum. Following the autopsy, splinters from the body were found by light microscopy. Macrodissected splinters were removed from the anus, rectum, and urinary bladder of the victim and examined by scanning electron microscopy. The splinters were identified as the same type of wood as the broomstick.
Insights
Forensic analysis of a homicide case revealed wooden splinters in the victim
Area of Science:
- Forensic pathology
- Trace evidence analysis
- Wood identification
Background:
- A pediatric homicide case involving severe blunt force trauma and sexual assault.
- The use of a wooden object as a weapon in the assault.
Observation:
- Autopsy revealed a broken wooden broomstick was used to impale the victim rectally.
- Microscopic examination of the victim's body identified foreign splinters.
- Splinters were recovered from the anus, rectum, and urinary bladder.
Findings:
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the presence of wood splinters.
- The recovered splinters were matched to the composition of the broomstick weapon.
Implications:
- Confirms the weapon used in the fatal assault.
- Highlights the importance of trace evidence analysis in forensic investigations.
- Demonstrates the utility of SEM in identifying microscopic wood fragments in biological tissues.