Under The Microscope: GOES OFF

 

Unless a sophisticated high-explosive military device is involved, or if the victim is virtually adjacent to a lower energy terrorist bomb, blast effects will rarely be the sole cause of death. The body will, however, be vulnerable to impact from solid fragments originating from the bomb casing or a container or conveyance, such as a car in which the bomb was concealed. Fragments of metals, from tiny splinters to large chunks or sheets, will be projected at high speed. The smaller ones will not travel more than a few metres, but larger, heavier pieces can fly over considerable distances and can cause serious or fatal injuries in just the same way as projectiles from a firearm. In the open, debris is scoured away, including dust and dirt, which can impinge on the body to injure and discolour it. At autopsy the body may appear pigmented from this dust blasting, the clothing causing a shadow effect similar to bathing suit protection from sunburn. A more common appearance is a 'peppering as a result of the numerous small missiles causing bruises, lacerations and abrasions. The lacerations are often puncture wounds, of varying size and depth. Burns may also discolour the body, especially those areas unprotected by clothing. Flash burns from the bomb itself only affect those nearby unless the device is massive, though singeing of hair and eyebrows is not uncommon. Other burns may be caused by ignition of clothing, or by the building or vehicle catching alight from the bomb effects or from gas or petrol ignition. A massive bomb, or one where the victim is virtually on top of the device, may totally disrupt the body and fling unidentifiable pieces over a wide area. Alternatively, part of the body may be totally destroyed, sometimes the remainder of the victim being remarkably intact. The legs may be blown off or the abdomen,disrupted, or the hands and arms torn away. In terrorist attacks these effects may be seen in the person who was planting the bomb or carrying it to the place chosen for detonation. A premature explosion, sometimes during the act of setting the timer, may cause these localized injuries.

Punctured wounds and bruises on the front of the thighs lap and trunk will indicate that he was facing the bomb. If the thighs, pelvic region and abdomen are damaged, the bomb may have been carried on the lap - and if the hands, chest and face are the most affected areas, the deceased may havebeen bending over the device.

The salient features have already been described and much of the autopsy is directed at listing the injuries, as in any other trauma death. The interpretation outlined above, however, may be most important for the investigators. There are some more specific matters in an explosion death which the pathologist must bear in mind. Firstly, trace evidence may be vital to the forensic scientists and bomb experts, who are trying to trace the maker of a terrorist device. X-rays should be taken of all bodies before autopsy to identify any radio-opaque objects. Not only will this assist in detecting lethal missiles not visible from the surface, but it may reveal small metal objects that form part of the bomb mechanism, such as small springs or contacts from the timer or detonator. These may be invaluable in allowing the experts to recognize the handiwork of a particular bomb-maker or terrorist group. Such radiography may also reveal the unexpected, which in the past has induded a bullet, the victim having been blown after death from shooting. Even prior to radiography. there may be much that the pathologist has to do. Though many explosion victims are relatively intact, where extensive disruption has occurred, the fragments have to be collected and sorted out in the mortuary. A major initial problem is to discover how many bodies are represented and to try to do the correct fragments to the right individuals. Where there are a number of victims and a large pile of small fragments, this task may be difficult or impossible, but it is naturally of paramount importance to determine how many victims are involved and to determine the sex of each. This is largely an anatomical exercise, akin to the sorting of multiple skeletal remains. Careful identification of all recognizable structures, such as prostate, uterus, breasts, scalp, eyes, for example, is needed in addition to more gross sorting of limb and trunk fragments. Radiology may again assist in matching contained skeletal srructures, but much of the debris accumulated after a large explosion consists mainly of skin and attached tissues. In spite of the most thorough police search of the scene, considerable proportions of some bodies are never recovered, having been disrupted into tiny fragments and mixed with the masonry and other debris of the bomb site. The collected fragments have to be washed clean from the inevitable dirt that coats them and sorted into groups by anatomical similarity. Non-human tissue is discarded, as animal material is not uncommonly admixed. The completed piles of tissue are then resorted by any apparent similarity, such as racial pigmentation, hair colour and sex. Limbs and large joints are then sorted, allotting them to left and right from anatomical considerations.

 

Acknowledgements:

www.aived.nl    AIVD – @Erik Akerboom ©

 

www.politie.nl  Politiekorpschef  @Janny Knol©

 

www.politie.nl WEB Politie - @Henk van Essen©

 

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