Citation

Bruni AT, Velho JA, Ferreira AS, Tasso MJ, Ferrari RS, Yoshida RL, Dias MS, Leite VB. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 2014; 26: 29-38.

Affiliation

Departamento de Física, IBILCE, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jflm.2014.06.004

PMID

25066170

Abstract

This study uses statistical techniques to evaluate reports on suicide scenes; it utilizes 80 reports from different locations in Brazil, randomly collected from both federal and state jurisdictions. We aimed to assess a heterogeneous group of cases in order to obtain an overall perspective of the problem. We evaluated variables regarding the characteristics of the crime scene, such as the detected traces (blood, instruments and clothes) that were found and we addressed the methodology employed by the experts. A qualitative approach using basic statistics revealed a wide distribution as to how the issue was addressed in the documents. We examined a quantitative approach involving an empirical equation and we used multivariate procedures to validate the quantitative methodology proposed for this empirical equation. The methodology successfully identified the main differences in the information presented in the reports, showing that there is no standardized method of analyzing evidences.

Language: en