Journal of forensic sciences最新文献

Death-certificate-recorded autopsy utilization in U.S. intoxication deaths, 2003-2023: National trends, benchmark comparison, and state heterogeneity. 2003-2023年美国中毒死亡中死亡证明记录的尸检使用率：国家趋势、基准比较和州异质性

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-08 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70363

Mohammed Sait

{"title":"Death-certificate-recorded autopsy utilization in U.S. intoxication deaths, 2003-2023: National trends, benchmark comparison, and state heterogeneity.","authors":"Mohammed Sait","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70363","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.70363","url":null,"abstract":"Drug intoxication deaths increasingly fall under medicolegal jurisdiction, yet national trends in death-certificate-recorded autopsy utilization for community intoxication deaths are not well characterized. Using CDC WONDER MCOD tabulations (2003-2023), we performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis. Primary analyses were restricted to a community/emergency department (Community/ED) subset (home; dead on arrival; outpatient/ER; other; or unknown). The outcome was intoxication autopsy utilization among deaths with known autopsy status (Yes/[Yes+No]), modeled with Joinpoint regression. We also described Community/ED autopsy workload proxy and intoxication share, estimated a national historical-baseline gap in intoxication autopsies under a 2006-2011 baseline utilization rate, and compared state changes between 2018-2019 and 2022-2023. Total all-place intoxication deaths increased from 348,082 (2003-2012) to 411,446 (2020-2023). In the Community/ED subset, autopsy utilization declined from 84.74% (2003) to 69.78% (2023), with a joinpoint in 2018 and a steeper decline during 2018-2023 (annual percent change, -3.09%/year); the largest year-to-year decrease was 2019-2020 (-5.01 percentage points). The homicide autopsy benchmark (all places) remained 98.06%-98.82%. All-cause Community/ED autopsies increased from 128,494 (2003) to 216,842 (2023), and the intoxication deaths share rose from 12.56% to 30.15%. The historical-baseline gap reached 13,867 fewer intoxication autopsies than expected in 2023. From 2018-2019 to 2022-2023, age-adjusted intoxication mortality increased in 49 states while Community/ED autopsy utilization declined in 33. Death-certificate-recorded community intoxication autopsy utilization declined amid rising intoxication burden, with substantial state heterogeneity and widening historical-baseline gaps, highlighting implications for medicolegal capacity and death-certificate autopsy documentation.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147857899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

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Authors' response. 作者的回应。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-07 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70353

Oliver Fogarty-Harnish, Jill K Yeakel, Ted L Pauley, Ed T Svirbely, Shawn P Barry

引用次数: 0

Commentary on: Fogarty-Harnish O, Yeakel JK, Pauley TL, Svirbely ET, Barry SP. Ethanol depletion dynamics in non-recirculating system breath alcohol simulators. J Forensic Sci. 2025;71 (2):1032-9. 10.1111/1556-4029.70222. 评论：fogarti - harnish O， Yeakel JK, Pauley TL, Svirbely ET, Barry SP.非再循环系统呼气酒精模拟器的乙醇消耗动力学。法医学学报，2025；71(2): 1032 - 9。10.1111 / 1556 - 4029.70222。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-07 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70354

Aaron Olson

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Response to Authors' reply. 对作者回复的回应。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-07 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70352

Aaron Olson

引用次数: 0

Occupational mortality in older workers: A forensic autopsy-based evaluation. 老年工人的职业死亡率：基于法医尸检的评估。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-07 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70360

Muhammet Ali Oruç, Hüseyin Çağrı Şahin, Muhammed Oduncu, Muhammed Fatih Yaman, Abdulkadir Can

{"title":"Occupational mortality in older workers: A forensic autopsy-based evaluation.","authors":"Muhammet Ali Oruç, Hüseyin Çağrı Şahin, Muhammed Oduncu, Muhammed Fatih Yaman, Abdulkadir Can","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70360","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70360","url":null,"abstract":"The aging of the global workforce has led to an increasing number of individuals remaining occupationally active at older ages. However, forensic autopsy-based data on workplace deaths in this population remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the causes and manners of workplace-related deaths among individuals aged 65 years and older based on forensic autopsy findings. This retrospective study included individuals aged ≥65 years who died at the workplace and underwent forensic autopsy between 2020 and 2024. Demographic characteristics, manner and cause of death, comorbidities, autopsy findings, and toxicological results were analyzed. A total of 126 cases were evaluated. Natural deaths accounted for 67.5% (n = 85) of cases and were primarily attributed to cardiovascular diseases, most commonly ischemic heart disease and severe coronary atherosclerosis (60.3%, n = 76). Non-natural deaths comprised 32.5% (n = 41) and included both accidental and suicidal deaths. Accidental deaths were most frequently associated with blunt force trauma (19.8%, n = 25), while suicidal deaths were mainly related to hanging (4.8%, n = 6) and drug intoxication (4.0%, n = 5). Toxicological analyses were negative in the majority of cases (91.3%, n = 115), and no substances were identified as contributory to death. Workplace-related deaths among older workers reflect a combination of natural disease processes and external causes. Forensic autopsy provides essential information for accurate determination of cause and manner of death and for distinguishing accidental occupational fatalities from intentional self-harm.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147846986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Cryptocurrency forensics: Forensic analysis of the Electrum wallet to uncover artifacts. 加密货币取证：对Electrum钱包进行取证分析，以发现文物。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-05 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70357

Saloni Jain, Bhupendra Singh, Nitesh K Bharadwaj

{"title":"Cryptocurrency forensics: Forensic analysis of the Electrum wallet to uncover artifacts.","authors":"Saloni Jain, Bhupendra Singh, Nitesh K Bharadwaj","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70357","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.70357","url":null,"abstract":"The decentralized and pseudonymous nature of cryptocurrency has facilitated its extensive use in illicit activities, including money laundering, tax evasion, and ransomware. Limiting such activities requires a well-established forensic framework. However, a dedicated methodology for examining cryptocurrency wallets remains underdeveloped. This study presents a systematic forensic analysis of Electrum wallets installed on virtual machines running Windows 10, outlining the wallet taxonomy and meticulously listing all artifacts. This study primarily focuses on memory forensics, with most of the analysis devoted to memory-based artifacts extracted from five distinct memory dump scenarios. Artifacts extraction were performed using Volatility 3 plugins, in conjunction with Python-based analysis scripts, within a Kali Linux environment. Following the memory-based analysis, a limited disk examination was conducted after wallet inactivity or system shutdown to assess whether any residual Electrum artifacts persisted beyond memory. The research examines the artifacts retrievable from wallet files, both before and after backup, and compares these results with those obtained from other methods reported in the literature. The experimental outcomes demonstrate the impact of this research on the successful extraction of private keys, wallet addresses, extended public keys, wallet files, and transaction IDs. The extracted Electrum addresses and private keys provided access to critical wallet details, and unspent Bitcoin were successfully recovered using these keys, confirming the feasibility of forensic cryptocurrency recovery and revealing data of high evidentiary value to the digital forensic community.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147848023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Post-mortem CT detection of fatal air embolism after aerosolized fibrin glue for bladder bleeding. 纤维蛋白胶雾化治疗膀胱出血致死性空气栓塞的死后CT检测。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-05 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70278

Beatrice Benedetti, Nazario Foschi, Caterina Pesaresi, Tommaso Tartaglione, Matteo Mancino, Alberto Chighine, Fabio De-Giorgio

{"title":"Post-mortem CT detection of fatal air embolism after aerosolized fibrin glue for bladder bleeding.","authors":"Beatrice Benedetti, Nazario Foschi, Caterina Pesaresi, Tommaso Tartaglione, Matteo Mancino, Alberto Chighine, Fabio De-Giorgio","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70278","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70278","url":null,"abstract":"Radiation-induced hemorrhagic cystitis (RHC) is a severe complication of pelvic radiotherapy, often used to treat various pelvic malignancies. Despite multiple therapeutic options, including conservative and invasive interventions, the optimal management remains uncertain. We report the case of a 76-year-old male with pulmonary emphysema and a history of prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy, who developed refractory RHC. During a hemostatic transurethral resection of a bladder tumor, autologous fibrin glue was applied via aerosol. Shortly after, the patient experienced sudden cardiorespiratory arrest and died. Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) revealed extensive intravascular gas in the heart and cerebral vessels, confirming fatal air embolism. No gas was identified in the pulmonary arteries, and autopsy findings excluded structural cardiac anomalies such as a patent foramen ovale. These results support the hypothesis of a right-to-left functional pulmonary shunt, a mechanism in which venous gas bypasses the pulmonary filter through intrapulmonary arteriovenous anastomoses. Pulmonary emphysema, present in this case, may have contributed by impairing alveolar-capillary integrity and reducing vascular filtration capacity. Additionally, bladder adhesions observed at autopsy likely reduced bladder compliance, facilitating air entry during glue application. This is, to our knowledge, the first documented case of fatal air embolism following aerosolized fibrin glue use for RHC, confirmed by both PMCT and autopsy. The case highlights the need for caution when using aerosolized hemostatic agents in patients with predisposing factors such as bladder adhesions and obstructive pulmonary diseases. Furthermore, it demonstrates the essential role of PMCT in identifying embolic complications and determining the cause of death in forensic settings.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"1507-1512"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13139800/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146128022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Preliminary insight into mycobiome of a cadaver exhumed over 7 months postmortem. 对一具尸体在死后7个多月挖掘出来的真菌群落的初步了解。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-15 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70300

Klaudyna Spychała, Łukasz Szleszkowski, Agata Thannhäuser, Marcin Kadej, Agata Piecuch, Rafał Ogórek

{"title":"Preliminary insight into mycobiome of a cadaver exhumed over 7 months postmortem.","authors":"Klaudyna Spychała, Łukasz Szleszkowski, Agata Thannhäuser, Marcin Kadej, Agata Piecuch, Rafał Ogórek","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70300","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70300","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, we characterized the culturable fungal community of a corpse exhumed more than 7 months postburial in a temperate climate, as well as that of the associated grave soil. The deceased was a 53-year-old male whose exhumation revealed extensive fungal colonization on clothing, skin, body cavities, and internal organs. Postmortem examination determined the cause of death to be a ruptured, extensive dissecting aortic aneurysm leading to pericardial tamponade. Samples were cultivated on six different culture media and three incubation temperatures. Fungal identification was performed using classical techniques and genotypic methods. A total of 16 fungal species were isolated from the cadaver, with the most (12 species) obtained at 37°C. In contrast, 43 species were identified in the grave soil, most of which (27 species) were isolated at 24°C. The most effective medium for fungal isolation from the cadaver was Potato Dextrose Agar, whereas Yeast Peptone Glucose medium (pH 4.5, with chloramphenicol) yielded the highest species diversity from the grave soil. The cadaver-associated fungal community was dominated by Yarrowia lipolytica, suggesting its prominent role in decomposition during the active decay stage. This study improves understanding of regional fungal communities and their roles in decomposition, filling a gap in forensic mycology by profiling cadaver-associated fungi in Central Europe.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"1275-1291"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147464392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Differentiation of cannabinoid isomers via Cu-mediated molecular ion formation and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. 通过cu介导的分子离子形成和电喷雾电离串联质谱法鉴别大麻素异构体。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-08 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70290

Alleigh N Couch, Christopher M Zall, J Tyler Davidson

{"title":"Differentiation of cannabinoid isomers via Cu-mediated molecular ion formation and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry.","authors":"Alleigh N Couch, Christopher M Zall, J Tyler Davidson","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70290","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70290","url":null,"abstract":"Gas chromatography-electron ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-EI-MS) remains the primary analytical technique used for cannabis analysis in seized drug laboratories. Electron ionization (EI) mass spectra exhibit extensive fragmentation, enabling the identification of cannabinoids by comparison with reference EI mass spectral libraries. However, limitations such as thermal degradation and potential cannabinoid conversion can occur due to the elevated temperatures of the GC inlet. In contrast, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) uses a soft ionization technique, such as electrospray ionization (ESI), which predominantly yields the protonated molecule with minimal fragmentation. Even with collisional activation using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis, the product ion spectra are nearly identical for cannabinoid isomers, reducing the effectiveness of this technique for cannabinoid identification. In this study, copper (Cu) salts are used to induce cannabinoid molecular ion formation under ESI conditions, enabling cannabinoid isomer differentiation. Thirteen cannabinoids were analyzed in the presence of Cu, and the resulting MS/MS product ion spectra exhibited fragmentation analogous to cannabinoid EI mass spectra. To evaluate forensic applicability, the EI-like product ion spectra were searched against the NIST 20 EI-MS mass spectral library using NIST MS Search software. Spectral matches confirmed that this alternative approach can generate EI-like data under ESI-MS/MS conditions, improving cannabinoid isomer identification. Additionally, this method was applied to methanolic extracts of authentic cannabis plant material to ensure cannabinoid molecular ion formation in real-world samples. The developed method offers an alternative approach to traditional workflows, while providing spectral data consistent with those routinely interpreted by seized drug analysts.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"1130-1142"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147380074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

LLM-based keyword augmentation for title-driven evidence selection: A practical approach. 基于法学硕士的关键词增强，用于标题驱动的证据选择：一种实用的方法。

IF 1.8

Journal of forensic sciences Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-12 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.70311

Sanghyun Yoo, Doowon Jeong

{"title":"LLM-based keyword augmentation for title-driven evidence selection: A practical approach.","authors":"Sanghyun Yoo, Doowon Jeong","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70311","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70311","url":null,"abstract":"Keyword-based search is widely used in digital forensic investigations, yet its effectiveness depends strongly on investigator experience, leading to inconsistent results and missed evidence. While previous studies have explored machine learning and large language models (LLMs) to address this, practical deployment is often constrained by confidentiality requirements and the infrastructure costs of maintaining high-performance models locally. We propose a practical LLM-based keyword augmentation method that expands investigator-supplied seed keywords, whether single words or multiple words, while restricting inputs to non-sensitive case context. This enables rapid evidence triage using file names without transmitting primary evidence content to external services. We validate the approach in three stages: (i) using 426 documents, we confirm that file names correlate with document bodies through semantic similarity and keyword coverage analyses, showing clear separation from randomized file name-content pairings; (ii) in a benchmark of 1500 file names comprising 500 relevant cases and 1000 controls, prompt-only keyword generation using ChatGPT models demonstrates effective retrieval performance, with ChatGPT-4.1 achieving the best overall balance; and (iii) in a usability study involving 20 digital forensic investigators, augmented keywords improve evidence detection, with junior investigators showing statistically significant gains as assessed by the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Overall, the method supports efficient triage in geographically distributed and large-scale investigations by applying LLM-augmented keywords, thereby reducing experience-related performance gaps.","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"1211-1223"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13139814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147446636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0