Extreme violence – Homicide; an analysis of 265 cases from the offices of JMO Colombo and Ragama – A Study from Sri Lanka

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trends and characteristics of natural and unnatural deaths in an urban Sri Lankan cohort viewed through retrospective analysis of forensic death investigations from 2019 to 2022

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a severe impact on global health. Apart from the disease itself, the strict restrictions and lockdowns enforced to minimize its spread have also substantially disrupted personal and public health.

METHODS

An analysis of forensic autopsy investigations was conducted between 2019 and 2022 on a selected urban population in Colombo, Sri Lanka, assessing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality within these communities.

RESULTS

During the COVID-19 restrictions, there was a 2.5-fold increase in the total number of deaths, with a significantly higher percentage of female deaths than before. The majority of these deaths were due to cardiovascular causes, while COVID-19-related deaths ranked third overall. The highest proportion of COVID-19 deaths occurred among unvaccinated females. The monthly frequency of deaths from traffic accidents, poisoning, and asphyxiation decreased, while deaths from blunt trauma, sharp trauma, burns, and immersion increased. There was also a rise in blunt homicides and a greater number of femicides during the COVID-19 restrictions than in the pre-pandemic period. A significantly higher percentage of males who received the COVID-19 vaccine died from cardiovascular causes compared to those in the unvaccinated group.

CONCLUSION

The significant changes in mortality demographics and causes of death within this community during the COVID-19 restrictions underscore the disruption in healthcare, healthseeking behavior, and social interactions during this period. The vulnerability of individuals residing in highly urbanized areas with lower socioeconomic status, particularly women, is brought into sharp focus.

Homicide by Multiple Fatal Methods: A Study From South Delhi, India

Homicide studies traditionally analyze the prevalence and patterns of homicide by exploring the age and sex of victims, the relationship between victims and perpetrators, and the cause of death. Use of a combination of more than one homicidal method was also found in various studies. Some of them found females as more common victims of multiple methods, whereas the others found males. Combination of methods commonly involved were sharp trauma, blunt trauma, and strangulation. This study was undertaken to know the pattern of homicide by multiple fatal methods at South Delhi. We have analyzed retrospective data of homicidal deaths in which multiple different fatal methods were used. We have also analyzed the number of perpetrators involved in those scenarios. The cases were autopsied at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi during the 20-year period from January 1996 and December 2015. There were 187 such reported cases where multiple methods were used for homicide, constituting 13.6% of all homicide deaths autopsied at the department. Multiple methods were used more commonly against female victims. Methods used in cases of male victims were the combination of head injury and stabbing in the chest/abdomen, followed by strangulation with smothering, whereas in cases of female victims, it was a combination of ligature strangulation and smothering which was most common, followed by the combination of smothering with throttling. Gunshot with stabbing was found to be a rare combination. A single perpetrator mostly used various asphyxial methods in combination or head injury with other methods such as stabbing and asphyxiation against male as well as female victims. Other combinations of methods, especially sharp weapon injury with blunt weapon injury or gunshot injury, suggest the involvement of more than one perpetrator.

Pattern of Isolated Fatal Mechanical Injury in Homicidal Deaths: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

Homicide is the death of one human being as a result of conduct of another. Multiple assaults on the body are seen in 70% cases, which indicate determination on the part of the accused to end the life of the victim.

AIM

To identify the pattern, distribution and means of inflicting fatal isolated mechanical injury on the body in cases of homicide.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted on total 728 homicide deaths, out of which 63 cases had an isolated fatal mechanical injury over the body and the rest 665 cases had multiple injuries. The data collected from the study sample were recorded in a case record form and was analysed using Graphpad Prism 5.0.

RESULTS

Homicidal deaths occurring due to an isolated bodily injury were 8.65%. Most of the victims (82%) were males. Those in the age group more than 60 years and less than 10 years together constituted 38% of the cases having isolated fatal homicidal injury. Sharp cutting weapons were used in most of the cases (46.03%) followed by use of hard and blunt weapon in 20.63%. The most common site of isolated injury causing homicide was head (41.26%) followed by the neck in 31.74%. The least common site of injury was the groin/scrotum (7.93%). The leading mode of death was coma (38.09%) followed by haemorrhagic shock in 34.92%.

CONCLUSION

Victims of homicidal deaths with isolated bodily injury showed a distinct pattern in comparison to deaths due to homicide with multiple injuries, which can be an indicator of the degree of aggression, magnitude of violence and the determination or intention of the assailant to kill.

Relationship of sharp force injuries to motivation

Forensic pathologists are often expected to provide an opinion on the intention of the assailant in sharp force fatalities. A retrospective study was carried out on reports of post-mortems of victims of sharp force trauma over five years. The position and type of injuries were recorded and related to the known motivation for murder. Victims of different motives of killing had an almost similar injury pattern. There is no significant association of the pathology of sharp force injuries with the motive of killing.