TY - JOUR PY - 2021// TI - The forensic analysis of homemade explosive suicides: Case report and systematic review of the literature JO - Journal of forensic sciences A1 - Sacco, Matteo Antonio A1 - Ricci, Pietrantonio A1 - Gratteri, Santo A1 - Scalise, Carmen A1 - Aquila, Isabella SP - 2013 EP - 2019 VL - 66 IS - 5 N2 - The illegal construction of explosive devices for recreational purposes has become increasingly widespread in recent years. This phenomenon is spurred on by numerous websites that explain how to build a self-made device. The correlation between the use of firearms and suicide is known in the literature, but the use of explosive devices and self-harm is little studied. Unfortunately, the risk associated with the manufacture of homemade explosives is poorly known. For this purpose, we describe a rare suicide carried out by a man suffering from depressive disorder with psychotic and delusional features. The forensic investigations at the scene showed that the man had designed a homemade device, and disseminated numerous suicide notes in his home, transcribed in the previous weeks in which he revealed his suicidal motivation. Crime scene investigation showed on the body and on the road in front of the explosion point: multiple fragments of glass (zone 1), a lighter with blood stains (zone 2), and shreds of clothing scattered along the road (zone 3). Autopsy revealed that the cause of death was extensive blunt injury to head and trunk due to barotrauma due to the explosion of a homemade device. The case is compared with data from a systematic review of the forensic literature on suicides involving explosives. The study proposes the analysis of planimetric areas in these crime scene investigations and active surveillance in these subjects.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0022-1198 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14757 ID - ref1 ER -