CSI: Kentucky

A fun article about forensic anthropologist Emily Craig:

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ZIP GUN SUICIDE

This guy went to a lot of trouble to off himself. No doubt there are dozens of more-convenient ways to commit suicide. Of course, had this been merely your average handgun-to-the-head scenario, it probably wouldn't warrant much attention here.

An Unusual Zip Gun Suicide—Medicolegal and Ballistic Examination (Full .PDF Journal article)

ABSTRACT: Home-made guns are imitations of typical firearms and usually have handgun characteristics. This article presents an unusual case of a suicide carried out by means of a fatal gunshot wound to the head using a home-made zip gun. A 49-year-old male, with a history of paranoid psychosis was found dead in the dwelling place of a family house. The investigation at the crime scene did not lead to suspicion of a gunshot wound because of the unusual nature of the firearm used. A medical examiner diagnosed an opened head injury as the primary cause of the victim’s death. The autopsy findings provided immediate grounds for further inspection of the crime scene. Subsequently, a simple zip gun, which had been overlooked during the scene investigation, was discovered. An undeformed projectile recovered from the victim’s head was consistent with the use of the home-made firearm. Following the completion of the investigations and autopsy, the death was classified as a suicide.

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ACCIDENTAL STRANGULATION

I must admit to harboring a personal fear of this particular type of accident. I grew up on a farm and also spent some years in a factory, working daily around heavy industrial machines. There were always horror stories circulating, most involved an article of clothing becoming stuck in a mechanized part and dragging a person towards inevitable mutilation or death. Accidents involving mechanical equipment happen fast, and machines--being, well, machines--are utterly unforgiving.

Accidental Ligature Strangulation by an Ironing
Machine: An Unusual Case (Full PDF Journal article)

ABSTRACT: In this paper, we present a case of a 53-year-old woman who had her headscarf catch on the cylinder ironing machine in the laundry of the hospital where she worked. The hospital workers found the woman dead with her head stuck to the ironing machine. After the death scene investigation and autopsy were completed, it was determined that the death occurred as a result of accidental ligature strangulation. Accidental ligature strangulation in which an article of clothing is caught in such an electrical machine and strangles the wearer is very rare. This case highlights the fact that these kinds of machines can be hazardous to work around and that increased safety measures should be taken to insure worker safety; additionally, the people who use these machines should be educated on the potential hazards.

FINGERPRINTING UNDER SCRUTINY

Here are a few articles commenting on fingerprint analysis, its usefulness and reliability, as well as our common perceptions regarding the practice:

Fact Is, Science Has Never Put Its Finger On Prints

The Myth of Fingerprints

ACE-V - Is It Scientifically Reliable and Accurate?

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IMPERVIOUS SKIN?

From Gould and Pyle's Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine (1901):



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