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Related Experiment Videos

Alcohol in decomposed bodies: postmortem synthesis and distribution

M G Gilliland1, R O Bost

  • 1East Carolina University School of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Greenville, NC.

Journal of Forensic Sciences
|November 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

In decomposed bodies, blood alcohol can result from drinking or post-death endogenous production. This study differentiates sources, crucial for medicolegal interpretation.

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Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Postmortem Chemistry
  • Medicolegal Death Investigation

Background:

  • Blood alcohol (ethanol) in decomposed bodies presents interpretation challenges, potentially stemming from antemortem ingestion or postmortem endogenous production.
  • Accurate differentiation is critical for medicolegal investigations to determine the cause and manner of death.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate blood alcohol concentrations and their distribution in various body fluids and tissues of decomposed individuals.
  • To establish criteria for distinguishing between endogenous alcohol production and antemortem ingestion in medicolegal cases.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 286 medicolegal autopsies involving decomposed bodies.
  • Classification of alcohol source (endogenous production, ingestion, undetermined) based on ethanol levels in multiple body fluids, distribution patterns, scene information, and presence of C3 alcohols.

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  • Analysis of alcohol concentrations in blood, bile, urine, and vitreous fluid.

    • Main Results:

    • Alcohol was attributed to endogenous production in 55 cases and ingestion in 130 cases.
    • In 62 cases, the source of alcohol remained undetermined.
    • Endogenous alcohol production in blood could reach concentrations as high as 0.15%, with typical findings including alcohol in blood and bile while urine and vitreous humor were negative or had lower levels.

    Conclusions:

    • Endogenous alcohol production can lead to significant blood alcohol concentrations (up to 0.15%) in decomposed bodies.
    • Specific patterns of alcohol distribution in body fluids (e.g., blood and bile positive, urine/vitreous negative) can indicate endogenous production.
    • The study provides valuable criteria for differentiating alcohol sources in complex medicolegal cases involving decomposition.