Forensic science international最新文献

{"title":"Cross-ratio and vehicle dynamics-based speed estimation for traffic accident analysis","authors":"Youngsoo Choi ,&nbsp;Jongjin Park ,&nbsp;Yongmun Yun ,&nbsp;Woo-Jeong Jeon ,&nbsp;Seung-Hyun Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112675","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112675","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In traffic accident analysis, vehicle speed estimation is crucial for determining accident causation and establishing legal liability. Although cross-ratio-based methods are widely employed in traffic accident video analysis, they remain primarily limited to average speed calculations on straight road sections. This study proposes a video-based speed estimation technique applicable to curved roads by integrating cross-ratio geometric principles with vehicle dynamics. The proposed method estimates continuous speed variations from video data through automatic selection of reliable frame combinations. Accuracy is further enhanced by incorporating vehicle dynamics principles specific to curved driving scenarios. The method was validated through comparative analyses with existing approaches, employing PC-Crash simulations and real accident cases. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method improves speed estimation accuracy on curved roads and during acceleration or deceleration. The method also proves effective for the temporal analysis of event data recorder (EDR) data in multiple-collision accidents. This video-based approach is expected to enhance the reliability and objectivity of traffic surveillance video analysis, particularly for application as legal evidence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112675"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145257792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preserving bloodstain evidence: Completely non-destructive estimation of time-since-deposition with ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics","authors":"Nor Ummiza Kamaruzaman ,&nbsp;Arniza Khairani Mohd Jamil ,&nbsp;Muhammad Faisal Khyasudeen ,&nbsp;Kah Hin Low","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Determining the time since deposition (TSD) of bloodstains is critical for reconstructing events in forensic investigations. However, traditional methods often involve destructive techniques that compromise evidence integrity. This study demonstrates the feasibility of attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometrics for non-destructive TSD estimation of bloodstains on glass slides up to 100 days old in realistic indoor environments, including open-air (macro) and zip-lock sealed (micro) conditions. Spectral data were acquired directly from the outer ring of bloodstain samples, preprocessed using standard normal variate transformation, and analysed using partial least squares regression (PLS-R) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The environment-specific PLS-R models demonstrated strong predictive performance, achieving a coefficient of determination of approximately 0.94 and a root mean square error of around 8 days. By categorising TSD prediction into broader groups, the PLS-DA models exhibited high robustness across varying environmental conditions, attaining discriminative accuracies of up to 95 %. Notably, PLS-DA effectively distinguished bloodstains less than 30 days old from older samples, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve approaching 1, indicating high reliability. These findings underscore the potential of PLS modelling combined with ATR-FTIR as a non-destructive, forensic-compatible technique for bloodstain age estimation, ensuring the preservation of forensic evidence integrity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112676"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficiency of STR markers in complex kinship investigations","authors":"Belma Jusic,&nbsp;Amela Pilav,&nbsp;Mirela Dzehverovic,&nbsp;Jasmina Cakar","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112672","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112672","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this case report, we present the results of a complex kinship investigation involving six individuals, whose biological samples were submitted over an extended period with unclear and shifting instructions. Initially, the goal appeared to be a general reconstruction of familial relationships, yet the underlying motive remained unclear. As the genetic analyses progressed, new individuals were added, and the focus gradually shifted toward a concealed paternity issue. To clarify the familial connections among the tested individuals, we applied a combination of autosomal, X and Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat (STR) markers, coupled with robust statistical methods. DNA was extracted from various personal items, and STR profiles were generated using validated forensic kits and software. Initial autosomal STR analysis primarily revealed familial relationships among three female and one male individual. The subsequent inclusion of two additional individuals not only supported the initial findings but also revealed a previously concealed paternity relationship between two of the subjects. Further analysis using X and Y-STR markers verified the autosomal STR analysis results, thereby supporting the previously established familial relationships. Despite issues like poor DNA quality in certain samples and insufficient contextual data provided, the genetic data allowed for high-confidence resolution of multiple kinship ties, including the confirmation of full- and half-sibling relationships, maternal links, and paternity. This case underscores the efficacy of molecular-genetic tools in revealing concealed familial structures and resolving disputed paternity within complex forensic contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112672"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Statistical support for identification using epigenetic traits of the human skeleton","authors":"Shelby Scott,&nbsp;Tracy L. Rogers","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112673","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112673","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Radiologic comparison is a potentially reliable means of identification in forensic contexts. Most radiologic comparisons are subjective and involve a qualitative visual comparison of the degree of similarity between antemortem and postmortem images, which is insufficient for quantitatively assessing the evidentiary value of an identification. Rather than simply concluding that antemortem and postmortem radiologic comparisons appear the same in the opinion of the examiner, results should be expressed quantitatively. This bolsters conclusions by providing statistical support for the probability of correct identification. Epigenetic trait variation is assessed by a forensic anthropologist during the examination of unknown human skeletal remains and may be useful in establishing positive identification, and/or in providing investigative direction. A key factor in this regard is the frequency of the trait(s) being compared in a given population. The present study utilizes epigenetic trait data from a preceding publication to demonstrate a method of statistically quantifiable positive identification based on epigenetic trait frequencies, ultimately demonstrating the utility of this method in practice. Utilizing a case study approach, the present authors demonstrate the benefits of a combined likelihood approach and propose standards for the presentation of likelihood ratios and verbal equivalent statements, to promote consistency in the reporting of results.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112673"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145219227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Indicators of strangulation in medico-legal assessments: A scoping review","authors":"Nina Heldring ,&nbsp;Daniel Krona ,&nbsp;Eva Rudd","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112670","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112670","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This scoping review aims to synthesize the existing knowledge on third-party strangulation, both fatal and non-fatal, with an emphasis on identifying key physical and symptomatic indicators, their prevalence, and the critical point and circumstances surrounding such incidents. A total of 19 articles addressing homicidal fatal strangulation and 34 articles addressing non-fatal strangulation were retrieved. The majority of the strangulation victims studied were below 40 years of age, with a predominance of women. The findings from the reviewed studies highlight the complex and multifaceted nature of strangulation, both in consensual and non-consensual contexts. Strangulation events range from no injury to severe injuries and death. Objective findings are common but not universal, with their detection influenced by study design, victim selection, and the time between the assault and examination. Fatal cases without external injuries (up to 16 %) highlight the need for caution in assessing severity in nonfatal cases of alleged strangulation based solely on visible external signs. Most studies of non-fatal strangulation focus on victims of intimate partner violence or sexual assault and highlight that strangulation is a common feature of such violence. Emerging evidence suggests that repeated strangulation events has potential effects on brain function, though further research is needed. The exact critical threshold where strangulation becomes life-threatening is not possible to define and calls for a consensus approach in medico-legal assessments. These findings underline the importance of detailed medical records capturing subjective findings, along with high-quality photographic or radiographic documentation, combined with detailed police reports outlining the sequence of events, for medico-legal implications of such cases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112670"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145243499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unsupervised machine learning for the detection and interpretation of key features in drip patterns","authors":"Stanard M. Pachong ,&nbsp;Ainaz Alavi ,&nbsp;Shaijieni Kannan ,&nbsp;Theresa Stotesbury ,&nbsp;Peter R. Lewis","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112669","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112669","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is increasingly shifting towards more objective methodologies for pattern classification. This transition can involve image-processing techniques that extract observable bloodstain features as data for pattern classification. This paper explores how unsupervised machine learning (ML)-based frameworks can be designed to identify observable features in bloodstain patterns, starting with a basic drip pattern. A total of 398 laboratory-generated drip patterns were analyzed, spanning dripping heights between 25 and 100 cm and droplet counts ranging from 1 to 10. The extracted observable features incorporated key bloodstain properties commonly used in forensic analysis, such as size and shape, hence aligning with previously reported qualitative properties and existing bloodstain taxonomies. To assess feature importance, SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) analysis was applied, ranking features by their contributive power to the model’s predictions. The results revealed that the circularity, the mean intensity, and the area of the parent stain were the three most significant features for distinguishing drip patterns with contribution power of 60 %, 28 %, and 28 %, respectively, when excluding the dripping height and the number of droplets from the model. This unsupervised ML-driven approach demonstrates strong potential for establishing feature criteria for image-processing based bloodstain pattern classification methods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"378 ","pages":"Article 112669"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145189673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced semen stain detection through the synergistic integration of a prototype artificial intelligence (AI) model and polilight technique","authors":"Sunisa Aobaom ,&nbsp;Tunradee Kongnapakdee ,&nbsp;Tayawee Romgaew","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112667","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112667","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing caseload of sexual offenses in Thailand places a significant strain on forensic science resources, demanding more efficient methods for evidence analysis. Preliminary screening of semen stains using Polilight is standard practice, but differentiating semen fluorescence from other visually similar biological fluids remains a challenge, often leading to time-consuming and labor-intensive confirmatory tests. This research developed and evaluated an artificial intelligence (AI) system to enhance the accuracy of semen stain detection. Two Roboflow 3.0 Object Detection (Accurate) models, based on a YOLOv8-compatible architecture, were developed. The models were trained on a dataset of 1597 images comprising semen (n = 719), urine (n = 301), and milk (n = 577) stains under two lighting conditions: \"under direct light\" and \"outside the direct light radius\". One model was trained with data augmentation and the other without. The performance of both models was validated and compared against the analysis of five experienced forensic experts. The model trained with data augmentation demonstrated significantly superior performance. Under direct light, it achieved an overall accuracy of 75.00 %, outperforming the 64.50% accuracy of the forensic experts. In challenging lighting conditions (outside the direct light radius), the experts exhibited a highly conservative strategy, achieving exceptional specificity (94.00 %) but very low sensitivity (45.00 %). In contrast, the AI models maintained a more balanced and consistent performance. Qualitative analysis confirmed the AI's reliability in identifying semen but also highlighted challenges in differentiating it from urine and milk, a limitation also observed in human experts. An AI model enhanced with data augmentation is a robust, consistent, and effective tool for the preliminary screening of semen stains, capable of exceeding the accuracy of human experts in ideal conditions. The findings support a synergistic human-AI workflow, where the AI serves as a standardized primary screening tool to increase efficiency and reduce workload, followed by expert verification for ambiguous cases. This approach holds the potential to accelerate the investigative process and strengthen the reliability of forensic conclusions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112667"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A long-amplicon nanopore sequencing and analysis method for human whole mitochondrial genome","authors":"Haowen Song ,&nbsp;Jing Liu ,&nbsp;Fan Yang ,&nbsp;Weian Du ,&nbsp;Liu Qin ,&nbsp;Yonglin Su ,&nbsp;Lirong Jiang ,&nbsp;Zheng Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112668","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112668","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has long been a pivotal niche in medical genetics, human forensics, and anthropology. However, common methods for mtDNA analysis are usually based on short-read sequencing and rely on read slicing of multiple PCR amplicons, which may be influenced by nuclear mitochondrial sequences (NUMTs) and cause confusion in identifying heteroplasmy. Nanopore sequencing, by contrast, theoretically enables direct, real-time analysis of nucleic acid fragments of any length, offering new insights into full-length sequencing and heterogeneity authentication of the entire mitochondrial genome (mitogenome). Here, we presented a single-amplicon long-read sequencing method for analysis of the whole mitogenome using the QNome nanopore sequencer (Qitan Technology). An open-source bioinformatics pipeline, VCall, was developed to automatically analyze the nanopore long-read sequencing data. Subsequently, 92 random samples were analyzed to characterize mtDNA polymorphisms, heteroplasmic sites, and complex sequences and positions using this approach. For two DNA standard materials (Control DNA 9947 A and 9948), the average read length exceeded 16,300 bp, with an average total read number of 10,499. For the random samples, after applying filtering criteria (read length: 15–17 kb; Q-score &gt; 10), we obtained a mean of 4263 total reads and 150 Mb total bases per sample. Among the 92 samples, 85 haplotypes and 72 haplogroups were identified, with haplotype and haplogroup diversities of 0.9981 and 0.9936, respectively. Using a 10.0 % detection threshold, heteroplasmy was observed at 61 nucleotide positions, 17 of which contained minor bases not previously reported in the MITOMAP database. Before applying nanopore technology for routine detection and analysis of forensic mtDNA, heteroplasmic sites need to be thoroughly validated, and more population samples need to be further tested. Nevertheless, this study lays a solid foundation for the application of nanopore sequencing in mtDNA research, and the VCall pipeline developed herein is also applicable to other long-read sequencing platforms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112668"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145148441","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Proteomic genotyping for individual human identification: Inferring SNPs in the absence of DNA evidence","authors":"Rebecca J. Tidy ,&nbsp;Romy E. Keane ,&nbsp;Marie S. Rye ,&nbsp;Colin Priddis ,&nbsp;Hayley Abbiss ,&nbsp;Glendon J. Parker ,&nbsp;Joel P.A. Gummer","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Proteins exhibit genetic variation due to differences in the amino acid sequence of proteins within and between populations. Amongst individuals this variation is most commonly in the form of single amino acid polymorphisms (SAPs) resulting from the translation of a non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The identification of SAPs can be used to infer the presence of corresponding SNP allele genotypes. When viable DNA is absent, proteomic genotyping may be used to associate biological evidence with an individual, similarly to other genetic markers of identification. As with DNA-based genotypes, this information can achieve potentially high levels of discriminating power and provide investigative leads including ancestry or biogeographic background. In forensic investigation the use of SNPs for individual identification continues to be explored at the nucleic acid level. However, in circumstances where DNA is not recovered, poorly recovered, or recovered as a complex mixture, alternative or complementary approaches for obtaining molecular markers of genetic variation would be valuable to investigators. Variations in the amino acid sequence of chemically abundant and stable proteins provides this opportunity. Using a proteomics approach, it’s possible to determine the presence of SNPs in an individual’s genome by revealing SAPs in the amino acid sequence of polypeptides. Ongoing research aims to use this information to bridge a gap in forensic intelligence gathering by applying emerging proteomics technologies to the analysis of biological matrices, most notably hair, an underutilised type of biological evidence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112664"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A scoring system for assessing the Manner of Death in Stab Injuries to the Trunk (The MODSIT score)","authors":"Maria Berg von Linde ,&nbsp;Stefan Acosta ,&nbsp;Ardavan M. Khoshnood ,&nbsp;Carl Johan Wingren","doi":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112666","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112666","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Distinguishing between homicide and suicide in cases of single stab injuries to the trunk can be challenging, particularly in the absence of clear contextual information. This study aims to address this issue by developing the MODSIT score (Manner of Death in Stab Injuries to the Trunk)—an evidence-based scoring system designed to standardise forensic manner of death assessments.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We developed four score models based on: 1) autopsy findings alone; 2) autopsy findings and toxicology; 3) autopsy findings, toxicology, and circumstances at the death scene; and 4) autopsy findings, toxicology, death scene circumstances, and demographics. The diagnostic performance of the models was evaluated through Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Model 3, including autopsy findings, toxicology, and circumstances at the death scene, established the best diagnostic performance (AUC 0.99, 95 % CI 0.97–1.00). The optimal cut-off of 2 score points showed 91.8 % sensitivity and 97.6 % specificity for predicting homicide, and cut-off of –1 point showed 85.7 % sensitivity and 98.8 % specificity for predicting suicide.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion and conclusion</h3><div>The score needs to be validated in other populations to confirm its generalisability. The MODSIT score has the potential to become a valuable tool for evidence-based forensic practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12341,"journal":{"name":"Forensic science international","volume":"377 ","pages":"Article 112666"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145154830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}