Abstract
During violent criminal actions in which the perpetrator disposes of the victim’s remains by burial, the analysis of insects and bacterial colonization patterns could be necessary for postmortem interval (PMI) estimation. Our research aimed to assess the decomposition process of buried rat carcasses from shallow graves (40 cm), the diversity and dynamics of insects and bacteria throughout the decomposition stages, and the environmental parameters’ influence on these variations. The results provide further insight on decomposition in soil and contribute to a broader understanding of the factors involved in decomposition by qualitatively and quantitatively analysing the decomposer community (bacteria and insects). Additionally, two bacterial taxa, Enterococcus faecalis and Clostridium paraputrificum that were investigated for the first time as PMI indicators using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed differential abundance over time, promising data for PMI estimation. The current study on the decomposition of buried rat carcasses in a natural environment will strengthen the current knowledge on decomposed remains from shallow graves and represents an effort to quantify insect and bacterial taxa as PMI estimators.
Highlights
In many violent criminal cases, a perpetrator tends to conceal a crime and dispose of a victim’s remains by burial, often digging shallow graves, due to the size and weight of a human body[1]
The present study provides an insight on buried carcass decomposition at 40 cm depth for postmortem interval estimation
The amount of oxygen available in the soil based on soil type, can influence the rate of decomposition and even the structure of the microbiological environment[81]
Summary
In many violent criminal cases, a perpetrator tends to conceal a crime and dispose of a victim’s remains by burial, often digging shallow graves, due to the size and weight of a human body[1]. In the case of both surface and buried remains, the decomposition process is strongly affected by taphonomic factors such as ante mortem conditions (covering or clothes and wounds), environmental factors like grave and soil characteristics, season and temperature, and insect and scavenger access[35]. Of these factors, temperature variation plays an important role in carcasses decomposition, with the range of 20–40 °C optimal for tissue degradation[29], 37 °C36. This behaviour can be influenced by season, temperature, soil granularity and depth of burial[14]
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