Technical note: Lanthanide-based luminescent marking of hollow-point ammunition for intracorporeal ballistic trajectory reconstruction and rapid projectile recovery in forensic necropsy

A technically simple luminescent marking strategy was evaluated to facilitate wound-channel visualization and projectile recovery using hollow-point ammunition. Two mixed Eu³ ⁺/Tb³ ⁺ coordination compounds with green-yellow (GYM) and red (RM) emissions were incorporated into 9 × 19 mm hollow-point projectiles and tested in controlled wound-ballistics experiments using fresh porcine tissue. Following projectile deformation, both markers were progressively released along the wound channel, enabling direct visualization under portable 365 nm ultraviolet illumination. The red-emitting marker provided the highest visual contrast against tissue autofluorescence. Mean projectile-recovery time decreased from 14.0 min for unmarked ammunition to 6.7 min for GYM and 4.3 min for RM. Luminescent residues remained detectable after saline washing, short-term freezing, and perforation of residential wood and automotive glass. Emission spectroscopy further confirmed preservation of the characteristic marker signatures in muscle, skin, and adipose tissue. These preliminary findings support the potential of lanthanide-based ammunition marking as a practical and visually effective tool for controlled wound-ballistics studies and simulated forensic necropsy, combining rapid trajectory visualization, shorter projectile-recovery times under the tested conditions, persistent marker deposition, and confirmatory spectroscopic identification. The approach is specifically intended for applications involving previously marked ammunition, and further comparative validation using larger experimental series will be required to establish its broader forensic applicability.