Working out the manner and cause of death using medicine, marks and micro traces - Case report

This case report describes a homicide in which the victim sustained fatal blunt force trauma to the head caused by an initially unidentified weapon. In addition to soft tissue injuries to the scalp, the victim also suffered a single depressed fracture on the central calvaria located at the os frontale. During the forensic medical examination, the cause of death was determined to be a combination of exsanguination and craniocerebral trauma. However, it was not possible to clearly identify the weapon used based on the soft tissue and bone injuries. Histological analysis revealed foreign material containing iron within the wounds. In the marks examination, the cracks in the fracture of the external plate of the calvaria were compared with potential tools of the crime. Striking similarities were identified regarding the shape and size of the cracks in the bone and scratch marks in the paint coating of a weight plate of a dumbbell that was recovered at the crime scene. Further material analysis confirmed the presence of black, polyester-based coating particles within the bone fractures, chemically identical to the paint coating of the weight plate. These findings led to the identification of the weight plate as the instrument of injury, a conclusion upheld by the court. This case underscores the critical importance of interdisciplinary collaboration within forensic science. Particularly in this case involving blunt force trauma. By integrating forensic medical and histological examination, micro trace analysis and comparative marks examination, the weight plate could successfully be identified as the weapon used.