Identifying a victim of alligator attack and scavenger fish in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest using smile photographs: a case report.

Abstract

Reports of deaths caused by alligators or crocodiles are rare in the literature. These deaths may be related to sharp force trauma caused by the teeth of these animals, with or without mutilation, or even drowning after seizure and submersion of the victim. It is difficult to forensically identify bodies in cases of mutilation of the upper limbs during the attack or when the corpse is in an advanced stage of skeletonization. Smile photographs are an important source of ante-mortem references for comparison. We report a human identification based on a photograph of a victim, with the absence of limbs caused by an alligator attack and the advanced skeletonization stage due to scavenger fish action in the Amazon within only 36 hours after his disappearance. The description of alligator attacks and the marks observed on the victim's body are essential to help medical and forensic professionals diagnose the injuries found and, consequently, define the cause of death.