Ribéreau-Gayon Agathe, Rando Carolyn, Schuliar Yves, Chapenoire Stéphane, Crema Enrico R, Claes Julien, Seret Bernard, Maleret Vincent, Morgan Ruth M
Department of Security and Crime Science - Centre for the Forensic Sciences, University College London, 35 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9EZ, UK.
Institute of Archaeology, University College London, 31-34 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PY, UK.
Int J Legal Med. 2017 Mar;131(2):423-432. doi: 10.1007/s00414-016-1449-6. Epub 2016 Sep 13.
Accurate determination of the origin and timing of trauma is key in medicolegal investigations when the cause and manner of death are unknown. However, distinction between criminal and accidental perimortem trauma and postmortem modifications can be challenging when facing unidentified trauma. Postmortem examination of the immersed victims of the Yemenia airplane crash (Comoros, 2009) demonstrated the challenges in diagnosing extensive unusual circular lesions found on the corpses. The objective of this study was to identify the origin and timing of occurrence (peri- or postmortem) of the lesions.A retrospective multidisciplinary study using autopsy reports (n = 113) and postmortem digital photos (n = 3 579) was conducted. Of the 113 victims recovered from the crash, 62 (54.9 %) presented unusual lesions (n = 560) with a median number of 7 (IQR 3 ∼ 13) and a maximum of 27 per corpse. The majority of lesions were elliptic (58 %) and had an area smaller than 10 cm (82.1 %). Some lesions (6.8 %) also showed clear tooth notches on their edges. These findings identified most of the lesions as consistent with postmortem bite marks from cookiecutter sharks (Isistius spp.). It suggests that cookiecutter sharks were important agents in the degradation of the corpses and thus introduced potential cognitive bias in the research of the cause and manner of death. A novel set of evidence-based identification criteria for cookiecutter bite marks on human bodies is developed to facilitate more accurate medicolegal diagnosis of cookiecutter bites.
当死亡原因和方式不明时，准确确定创伤的起源和时间是法医学调查的关键。然而，面对身份不明的创伤时，区分刑事和意外濒死创伤以及死后改变可能具有挑战性。对也门航空飞机坠毁事件（科摩罗，2009年）中溺水遇难者的尸体进行尸检，发现诊断尸体上广泛存在的异常圆形损伤具有挑战性。本研究的目的是确定这些损伤的起源和发生时间（濒死期或死后）。我们进行了一项回顾性多学科研究，使用了尸检报告（n = 113）和死后数码照片（n = 3579）。在从坠机事故中找到的113名遇难者中，62名（54.9%）出现了异常损伤（n = 560），损伤数量中位数为7（四分位间距3 ∼ 13），每具尸体最多有27处损伤。大多数损伤为椭圆形（58%），面积小于10平方厘米（82.1%）。一些损伤（6.8%）边缘还显示出明显的齿痕。这些发现表明，大多数损伤与雪茄达摩鲨（Isistius spp.）造成的死后咬痕一致。这表明雪茄达摩鲨是尸体降解的重要因素，因此在死亡原因和方式的研究中引入了潜在的认知偏差。我们制定了一套新的基于证据的人体雪茄达摩鲨咬痕鉴定标准，以促进对雪茄达摩鲨咬痕更准确的法医学诊断。
