The forensic analysis of homemade explosive suicides: Case report and systematic review of the literature.

autopsy explosive devices forensic pathology improvised homemade devices suicide suicide note

Journal

Journal of forensic sciences
ISSN: 1556-4029
Titre abrégé: J Forensic Sci
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0375370

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
Sep 2021
Historique:
revised: 28 04 2021
received: 15 12 2020
accepted: 03 05 2021
pubmed: 28 5 2021
medline: 8 9 2021
entrez: 27 5 2021
Statut: ppublish

Résumé

The illegal construction of explosive devices for recreational purposes has become increasingly widespread in recent years. This phenomenon is spurred on by numerous websites that explain how to build a self-made device. The correlation between the use of firearms and suicide is known in the literature, but the use of explosive devices and self-harm is little studied. Unfortunately, the risk associated with the manufacture of homemade explosives is poorly known. For this purpose, we describe a rare suicide carried out by a man suffering from depressive disorder with psychotic and delusional features. The forensic investigations at the scene showed that the man had designed a homemade device, and disseminated numerous suicide notes in his home, transcribed in the previous weeks in which he revealed his suicidal motivation. Crime scene investigation showed on the body and on the road in front of the explosion point: multiple fragments of glass (zone 1), a lighter with blood stains (zone 2), and shreds of clothing scattered along the road (zone 3). Autopsy revealed that the cause of death was extensive blunt injury to head and trunk due to barotrauma due to the explosion of a homemade device. The case is compared with data from a systematic review of the forensic literature on suicides involving explosives. The study proposes the analysis of planimetric areas in these crime scene investigations and active surveillance in these subjects.

Identifiants

pubmed: 34042187
doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.14757
doi:

Substances chimiques

Explosive Agents 0

Types de publication

Case Reports Systematic Review

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

2013-2019

Informations de copyright

© 2021 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

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Auteurs

Matteo Antonio Sacco (MA)

Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Institute of Legal Medicine, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.

Pietrantonio Ricci (P)

Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Institute of Legal Medicine, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.

Santo Gratteri (S)

Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Institute of Legal Medicine, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.

Carmen Scalise (C)

Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Institute of Legal Medicine, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.

Isabella Aquila (I)

Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, Institute of Legal Medicine, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.

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