TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Long-term detection in hair of zolpidem, oxazepam and flunitrazepam in a case of drug-facilitated sexual assault
JO  - Journal of analytical toxicology
A1  - Carfora, Anna
A1  - Campobasso, Carlo Pietro
A1  - Cassandro, Paola
A1  - Petrella, Raffaella
A1  - Borriello, Renata
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases are pretty common in forensic toxicology. In this case report, a 56-year-old female tourist claimed to have been sexually assaulted by five men after having had a drug-spiked alcoholic drink. Urine samples were collected at 38, 44, and 45 hours after the alleged rape. After 7 months, hair strands (28 cm in length) were also sampled to perform the segmental hair testing. Urine and decontaminated hair segments were tested for different groups of basic, acid, and neutral substances (GHB, Z-drugs, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, hypnotics, antipsychotics, drugs of abuse). GC/MS and LC-MS/MS methods were applied for the qualitative and quantitative analyses. Toxicological analyses performed on urine samples gave inconclusive findings. Zolpidem, flunitrazepam, and oxazepam were detected in the hair segments corresponding to the time frame of the alleged assault. Endogenous levels of GHB were detected along the hair shaft. No drugs were detected in the proximal and distal hair segments or in washing solutions. This DFSA case demonstrated that the segmental toxicological analysis of hair, even when performed 7 months after the sexual assault, can provide evidence consistent in a single exposure to psychoactive drugs, at the time of the offence.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0146-4760
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkaa174
ID  - ref1
ER  -