Homicide by Three Different Firearms or Single Improvised Weapon: The Forensic Pathologist's Dilemma

Abstract

The recovery of different constituents of ammunitions in a dead body is of vital importance for investigation of firearm fatalities. The projectile that enters the body depends on the type of firearm used. The wound of entry and the wound of exit and the track are useful guides for reconstructing the incident of firearm injury. Most often, at autopsy, these projectiles are recovered from the body and preserved as materials of evidential values. This is further complicated when changes due to decomposition obscure and modify the appearances of the wounds of the entry and exists. In our country, especially with advent of readily available improvised firearms, the classical assembly of arms and weapons are not found. Handmade or improvised firearms produce injuries that are often unique and special. Here, we report a rare case of finding one revolver bullet, one country-made rifled bullet, and one shotgun felt wad along with multiple metallic pellets, all in a single decomposed body.