Citation

Amadasi A, Borgonovo S, Brandone A, Di Giancamillo M, Cattaneo C. J. Forensic Sci. 2014; 59(3): 712-717.

Affiliation

Laboratorio di Antropologia ed Odontologia Forense (LABANOF), Istituto di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Università degli Studi di Milano, v. Mangiagalli 37, Milan, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.12304

PMID

24147424

Abstract

The radiological search for GSR is crucial in burnt material although it has been rarely tested. In this study, thirty-one bovine ribs were shot at near-contact range and burnt to calcination in an oven simulating a real combustion. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) were performed before and after carbonization and compared with former analyses with DR (digital radiography); thus comparing the assistance, the radiological methods can provide in the search for GSR in fresh and burnt bone. DR demonstrated the greatest ability in the detection of metallic residues, CT showed lower abilities, while MR showed a high sensitivity only in soft tissues. Thus, DR can be considered as the most sensitive method in the detection of GSR in charred bones, whereas CT and MR demonstrated much less reliability. Nonetheless, the MR ameliorates the analysis of gunshot wounds in other types of remains with large quantities of soft tissues.

Language: en