A multidisciplinary approach to the investigation of a collapsed building

Postmortem injury evaluation using the Forensic Injury Severity Score Template (FISST): a preliminary study

The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) are important evaluation tools used in clinical practice to determine the degree of injury in patients with trauma. However, they are not suitable for forensic practice and their use in forensic applications is limited. This study aimed to present a system that can objectively and quantitatively determine the severity of postmortem injuries and that can be applied to forensic medicine. Subsequently, we applied this system to individual postmortem cases and analyzed the injuries identified during autopsy. We performed a retrospective study of 119 autopsies performed between 2018 and 2021. Data were categorized and analyzed using the Forensic Injury Severity Score Template (FISST), a scoring system developed based on the AIS and ISS. The mean FISST scores were as follows: men, 53.6; women, 46.8; 20-65 years old, 55.6; older than 65 years, 41.4; natural death, 13.8; unnatural death, 66.3; and all deaths, 51.8. Statistically significant differences in the FISST scores were found between natural and unnatural deaths, suicidal and accidental deaths, and trauma-related death subtypes. Injuries identified during autopsy can be objectively and quantitatively evaluated using FISST. We suggest that FISST is a useful tool in forensic medicine because it is tailor-made for injury evaluation from a postmortem perspective.

Multidisciplinary Forensic Approach in "Complex" Bodies: Systematic Review and Procedural Proposal

The recovery of severely altered cadavers (i.e., extensively decomposed, mummified, charred or dismembered) can be a challenge for forensic pathologists due to the difficulties in identification, PMI estimation and manner and cause of death determination. In such cases, integrating routine approaches (autopsy, histology, toxicology) to more specific forensic branches can be fundamental to improving the investigative process. In this paper a systematic review using PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases has been performed. The aim was to evaluate the forensic approaches implemented in the management of severely altered bodies due to decomposition, mummification, skeletonization, charring or dismemberment (to which we refer to as "complex"), and the role of each approach in the solution of a case. Then, the literature revision results were used to propose a schematic flowchart summarizing the post mortem activities that can be performed in forensic practice, adaptable in relation to each case.

A Brief Report on the Collapse of Self-Built Houses on 29 April 2022, in Changsha, China

A self-built house collapsed in Changsha City, Hunan Province, on 29 April 2022, causing 53 people to be trapped and 39 people to go missing. The tragedy caused a huge loss of life, so the stability of self-built houses has a non-negligible impaction on public safety. This report presents causes of the incident, rescue operations, cause analysis, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The main conclusions about the reasons for the collapse include: (a) reckless heightening, (b) unreasonable structure, (c) adverse geological conditions, (d) architectural vulnerabilities, (e) negligence of competent authorities, and (f) lack of security awareness. This paper provides a reference for avoiding similar security incidents in the future.

Forensic Analysis and Identification Processes in Mass Disasters: Explosion of Gun Powder in the Fireworks Factory

A mass disaster is a situation that involves criticality between the number of victims and resources, in terms of both men and means, present on the site of an event that is mostly unexpected and sudden. In the multidisciplinary teams that intervene, the role of forensic pathologists, who are responsible for the direction and coordination of post-mortem operations, is central, and must remain so. The authors report the case of an explosion of a pyrotechnic artifice factory, as a result of which numerous victims and injuries are recorded. So, the team completed the autopsies and created a protocol to obtain biological samples (bones, blood, teeth, muscles), while the forensic pathologists contacted the families of the alleged victims and each provided a blood sample that was collected for the DNA. The geneticist, using the method of gene extraction and amplification, obtained the DNA from each bone, tooth, and muscle of blood taken from the victims and then compared it with that extracted from the blood samples of the relatives; the electropherograms showed at least one allele for each genetic marker of the "Combined DNA Index System" in common between the victims and the families, thus allowing to establish the identity of all the subjects involved in the event. Having established the identity of all workers, it was possible to determine their whereabouts in the environment at the time of the location of fires and explosions. The results of the various forensic analyzes (autopsies, genetic investigations and even traumatological investigations) have allowed us to validate a scientific method useful in all mass disasters even when any type of anthropological or forensic dental research is difficult.

"Lupara Bianca" a way to hide cadavers after Mafia homicides. A cemetery of Italian Mafia. A case study

The Gargano, also known as the 'Spur of Italy', is a sub-region of Italy which is located in North of Puglia, in the Province of Foggia. A ravine located in this area was used as a dumping ground in past. During a clearing operation, a team of speleologists discovered human skeletal remains, which led to an official investigation by the local prosecutor's office. The prosecutor called a team of forensic specialist for a scene investigation to recover and identify the human skeletal remains. Four different human skeletal remains located at four different levels of depth underground were found and were in different conditions. A complete forensic investigation was initiated and comprised of radiological imaging with DNA profiling. Three of the four human skeletal remains that were found were identified as those belonging to men who vanished mysteriously in the nineties. The studies conducted have demonstrated that the victims found were murdered and the murders were attributed to the "Mafia of Gargano". The Mafia of Gargano was officially recognized as a criminal organization dating back to 2009 and their criminal activities included the smuggling of firearms and cigarettes, human trafficking, and smuggling of undocumented immigrants. Murders in which corpses are made to disappear is common practice in criminal activities including that of the Italian Mafia. The "Lupara Bianca" is a colloquial term commonly used in Sicily to refer to concealed murders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported study describing the discovery of one of the locations used extensively by the local Mafia as a "cemetery" for victims of "Lupara Bianca" homicides. Based on evidences collected at the site, an explanation of this homicidal modality will be provided.