Identification process of the causal element using cutmark analysis in bone: Case study

Abstract

An anthropological trauma analysis was conducted on an individual killed by multiple injuries from a combined sharp and blunt mechanism using a cold weapon (machete) to the head, trunk and upper extremities. After conducting the autopsy, the cranial fragments were submitted to the anthropology laboratory for cleaning, restoration and study; later, plaster reproductions of the cutmarks with clear striations were made and a gel was developed to take impressions of the marks left by the machete recovered at the scene and submitted for study; finally, a visual comparison of the striations observed on the bone and those left by the machete in the gel was conducted.

Keywords

• Tool mark analysis
• Forensic Anthropology
• Bone Trauma
• Chop wound
• Striation