The development of latent skin impressions on a variety of fabrics (cotton, rayon, polyester, nylon, and acrylic fabrics in five colors; white, black, yellow, blue and red) has been studied. Squid soaked in artificial sweat solution or de-ionized water was used as an alternative to human skin to make skin impressions on the fabric. A piece of squid was subjected to a constant force, to transfer the skin components onto the fabric. The fabrics bearing the skin impressions were treated with various reagents such as ninhydrin, 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO), 1,2-indanedione/ Zn (1,2-IND/Zn), Amido black and Hungarian red, to know the most effective method for developing the skin impressions on the fabrics. Comparing the sensitivity of the reagents, stronger development was observed from the impressions made with the artificial sweat soaked squid than the de-ionized water soaked squid. These results show that the development quality of the latent hit mark is influenced by the sweat, as well as other skin components. Also, the development efficiency of the reagents varied depending on the chemistry, color and texture of the fabric. Therefore, before the development of skin impressions on the evidence fabrics, it is suggested to perform a preliminary experiment with different methods on a similar fabric to decide the most sensitive method.

Objectives: According to WHO, suicide is the act of deliberately killing oneself. The number of suicide autopsies is comparable year by year; there are differences however in the sex and age, and the method chosen. The aim of the study was to analyze the cases of people who used their occupation-related knowledge to commit suicide. Material and Methods: A retrospective study of the Department of Forensic Medicine autopsy protocols from 2010 to 2014 was carried out. Of the 1,908 protocols searched, 292 suicide cases were selected and the reason and circumstances of death were studied. Results: The number of suicides increased from 49 cases in 2010 to 65 cases in the years 2013 and 2014. The most common ways were by hanging and intoxication. In 7 (2.8%) of the cases, professional knowledge was used. Amongst them were three cases where death was the result of having knowledge of and access to firearms. Three other suicides were committed by physicians with use of pharmaceuticals. The case of a taxi driver who gassed himself with exhaust fumes causing death by carbon monoxide intoxication was found and the case of an electrical engineer who connected himself to a power source using a timer was also recorded. Conclusions: Although suicides planned and committed with use of professional knowledge are rare, they always succeed. The need for restricting access to means to prevent suicides is underlined.

Forensic entomology is the science that uses insects found on bodies to set the Post Mortem Interval (PMI) among other investigations. The present work used DNA barcode based on the use of a standardized fragment of Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I (COI). We undertook analysis of the taxa associated with carcasses, representing 15 dipterans species. Carcasses of pigs during the decomposition process were used, using a cutoff value of 3% for intra-and interspecific differentiation proves efficient for the dipteran of forensic interest. Species identification is more accurate in well studied and reviewed groups. It was observed that specific taxonomic groups were well separated. In the larger group a molecular study, including other mitochondrial genes and nuclear genes is necessary. The greater differentiation in Lucilia eximia probably requires review studies of the group.

Fire is one of the fundamental element of world and indispensable object of human existence, but some times it becomes life annihilator and most ferocious element if raged by some mistake or omission which can throw away thousands of lives of human beings along with the billions in term of the wealth and property. The manuscript analyzes a similar fire incident that occurred in a factory at Nimrana City, Alwar (Rajasthan) on 29th October 2007 (FIR no. 288/09 dt. 30-10-09 U/s 285, 336 IPC) in which volatile and inflammable chemicals were used as raw material. Safety precautions should be followed as per SOP in presence of volatile and inflammable chemicals but long term and accustomed laborer become adept in bypassing the safety precautions and invent shortcuts for routine works which can result into this kind of havoc. Through this paper, the authors have tried to explain the data related to case, this report help in reconstruction the dynamics of the accident by means of a dedication to determine the underlying cause of fire in the factory. It might help to explain the importance of spot visit and estimate the dense and depth of the fire investigation for forensic community. We have also suggested methodology to investigate cases related to fire/arson.

Rapid DNA Technology (RDNA) holds the key to the elimination of a significant number of sentinel events. Sentinel events in the criminal justice system may best be explained through the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations’ (JACHO) definition as “an unexpected occurrence involving death or severe physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof”. The most notable sentinel event in the criminal justice system today is a wrongful conviction – which exposes all attendant parties to significant personal and institutional liabilities. The International Association of Chiefs of Police/U.S. Department of Justice released its August report on the Wrongful Convictions Summit. In the report, there were thirty recommendations to reduce sentinel events in the criminal justice system. Sentinel events are likely the result of compound errors. The recommendations of the Summit Advisory Group focused on preventing the compounding of errors (racial profiling, investigative biases, aggressive interviewing, faulty line-up protocols, false testimony and eyewitness errors) to which Doyle refers. Currently, the public safety community seems to be virtually silent on the use of RDNA as a sentinel event prophylactic in fulfilling the criminal justice system’s goal to protect the blameless while holding the blameworthy accountable. The injection of RDNA at the earliest opportunity in the pre-charging phase of the criminal process may provide relief from the seemingly endless rise of sentinel events in the criminal justice system.

Identification of the fauna collected from and around the corpse is an absolutely vital prerequisite for the estimation of post mortem interval(PMI) in the field of forensic entomology. Morphological identification of flesh flies (Diptera; Sarcophagidae) can be perplexing due similar attributes of the species. So, to simplify the identification method, amplification of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene is often tried. We illustrate the use of 450 bp fragment of COI gene for differentiation of ten forensically significant species of flesh flies in India. The outcome displays the robustness of COI gene as a diagnostic marker, since its nucleotide variability endows reliable distinction to be drawn between species. Four new COI gene sequences have been added to GenBank which may be of interest for correct species identification for future workers.

Keiko Ikemoto1,2,3* 1Department of Psychiatry, Iwaki Kyoritsu General Hospital, Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan 2Department of Legal Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan 3Department of Forensic Medicine, Health Bioscience Institute, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan *Corresponding author: Keiko Ikemoto, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Iwaki Kyoritsu General Hospital Iwaki, Fukushima, 973-8555, Japan, Tel: +81-246-267-3151; Fax: +81-246-27-2148; E-mail: ikemoto@iwaki-kyoritsu.iwaki.fukushima.jp

Population stratification is the main cause of spurious results and the difficulty of replicating genetic association findings. In admixed populations, there is evidence that such proxies do not provide efficient control of stratification. We aimed to evaluate the statistical relationship between self-reported, hetero-classified and genetic ancestry, defined by categories of skin color and individual ancestry estimates and by the genotyping of 48 ancestry-informative indel markers in a sample of 130 volunteers from the city of Macapa in the Amazonian state of Amapa - Brazil. Five groups of self- reported skin color were defined: white, light brown, middle brown, dark brown and blacks, and three groups of predominant ancestry were defined: European, African and Native American. The results showed a significant correlation between skin color and predominant ancestry, self-reported and hetero-classified by volunteers, in comparison with the genetic ancestry, an important potential application of these AIMs in forensic investigations.

The goals of this study were to investigate whether sufficient amount of human DNA can be recovered from a cell phone and if the identity of the single and/or multiple user(s) can be established by generating genetic profile(s). Cell phones were used to collect human DNA. Two Buccal swabs were used to collect Buccal cells as a DNA reference samples. Four soaked sterile cotton swabs were used to collect biological materials from each user’s cell phone. Sufficient quantity and quality of human genomic DNA was obtained from the cell phones using Quantifiler® Human DNA Quantitation Kit. More human DNA was collected from volunteers’ Buccal swabs (=74.56 ng) than from the surface of their cell phones (=0.23 ng). One nanogram (1 ng) of template DNA was used for buccal swabs and cell phones swabs, if available. However, when the DNA recovered from cell phone swabs was 0.00 to 500 pg, 10 μL of template DNA was used. In addition, the number of PCR cycles was increased from 28 to 32 in anticipation of Low Copy Number DNA. Genetic profiles were developed from the DNA on the cell phones and were compared with the reference DNA profiles from the buccal cells of the cell phone owners. Full Short Tandem Repeats (STR) DNA profiles for all 15 STR loci plus Amelogenin locus were typed for 36 Buccal swabs, reference DNA of cell phone owners. Complete STR profiles were generated from 33% (N=36) cell phones and were matched participants’. In addition, 28% of cell phones had partial DNA profiles matched with the cell phone owners. While, 33% of the cell phones had unknown partial or complete profiles. Four of the unknown partial profiles had more than two alleles at the STR loci indicating multiple unknown cell phone users. The Y chromosome was detected at the Amelogenin locus from the DNA profiles generated from two females’ cell phones identifying unknown male contributor(s). Our study demonstrates that DNA collected from the cell phones can be used as reliable physical evidence in forensic investigations.

In this case Accused persons raped the Victim girl, but the victim girl washed all her cloths and place of crime, therefore no Semen was detected on any of the exhibits, blood stains were also washed off. There was hardly any chance of getting blood group. In spite of that careful sampling of proper blood stains and careful analysis resulted in conclusive blood grouping. The blood group, found on the clothes of Accused matched with that of the clothes of Victim girl. Though DNA analysis is full proof technique absence of nuclear material negates its superiority. Sometimes traditional ABO grouping also becomes effective tool in such cases.