Morphological study on the effects of accelerants on machete blade inflicted sharp force Trauma

Abstract

Heat-induced modifications on bone is a method of crime concealment that affects the morphological profile of the bone, which can limit the identification of the type of weapon used to inflict injuries on the bones. The aim of this research was to investigate the correlation of heat with the sharp force trauma inflicted on the bone. Domestic pig's femurs (Sus scrofa) were purchased and the bones were de-fleshed and cleaned using 3% hydrogen peroxide. Prior to burning, sharp force injuries were inflicted on the bones using a machete under constant force. Two accelerants were used for the burning process: petrol and kerosene and the morphological profile of the bones pre- and post-burning were recorded using dissection microscope and comparison microscope. The analysis showed that petrol gives the most prominent changes in the morphology of injury as compared to kerosene and non-accelerant. The findings of this study may help post-mortem examiners to correlate the post burning changes on the bones to the type of accelerant assisted burning.