Brandon Epstein, Bertram Lyons, Daniel Fischer, Albert Zlogar
{"title":"Evaluating the use of a novel expert system for interpretation of media authentication results.","authors":"Brandon Epstein, Bertram Lyons, Daniel Fischer, Albert Zlogar","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70377","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70377","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The evolution of artificial intelligence has enabled the creation of hyper-realistic synthetic images and videos, significantly complicating the authentication of media evidence. Many algorithmic approaches to media authentication have proven ineffective in digital forensics, particularly due to the difficulty of expressing results from black-box algorithms. Compounding this challenge, practitioners face long examination times and an ever-increasing volume of media evidence in modern investigations. To address these challenges, the authors developed an artificial intelligence expert system incorporating several logic-based authentication tests related to media file structure, attribute similarity analysis, and internal file attributes. These tests were organized into distinct authentication pathways to produce concise, natural language conclusions comparable to opinions rendered by human examiners. The automated nature of an expert system may allow for demonstrably accurate results at scale without extensive human resources. This preliminary study compared the accuracy of the artificial intelligence expert system's opinions with those of trained human examiners from diverse digital forensic backgrounds. Both the expert system and the examiners were provided the same dataset, consisting of original, transmitted, edited, and synthetic videos. Both groups received file structure data, attribute similarity analyses, proprietary structural data, and metadata values. Using a 14-question survey, responses were collected and evaluated for accuracy, and error rates were calculated. Across 20 respondents, the human mean score was 69% as compared to the expert system score of 91%. These results can be used to evaluate the appropriateness of deploying artificial intelligence expert systems for forensic examinations, alongside human interpretations.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2364-2372"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534913/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148229801","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}
{"title":"First record of the forensically important genus Protopiophila Duda (Diptera: Piophilidae) from South Korea and an integrative framework for forensic identification.","authors":"Sangjin Han, Taemin Kang, Seung-Gyu Lee, Seunggwan Shin","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70383","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70383","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The family Piophilidae is of significant forensic importance due to its association with late-stage decomposition; however, the Korean piophilid fauna remains poorly studied, lacking comprehensive morphological and molecular data. This study reports the first record of the genus Protopiophila Duda from South Korea. Five male specimens were collected and identified as Protopiophila contecta (Walker) based on morphological characters. We provide the first detailed illustrations and descriptions of the previously poorly documented male internal genitalia and a new identification key to the South Korean piophilids. To complement the morphological data, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes were generated and analyzed. The neighbor-joining tree showed that the four Korean specimens formed a distinct, well-supported clade, clearly separated from the congeners P. latipes and P. litigata. This study establishes an integrative framework for identifying P. contecta, adding a fourth forensically relevant piophilid species to the Korean entomofauna. These morphological and molecular data provide a crucial reference for future forensic investigations in the region.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2405-2414"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534861/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148274436","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}
{"title":"A PCP overdose death in Northern Virginia.","authors":"Courtney Wardwell, Carmen Coles","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.70429","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Phencyclidine (PCP), a Schedule II dissociative anesthetic, is no longer prescribed. Recreational use of PCP still exists, often localized to certain metropolitan areas in the United States, including the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. corridor. PCP was detected in 3.07% of the Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (DUID) cases in Virginia and 0.55% of medical examiner cases from 2020 to 2024. For the northern region of Virginia, PCP was detected in 8.08% of the DUID cases and 1.76% of the medical examiner cases from 2020 to 2024. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of PCP in a postmortem overdose case where the concentration was reported as present greater than 2000 ng/mL. The subject was a 47-year-old individual who had a history of PCP use. An Agilent Technologies 7890A/5975C Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) operated in selected ion-monitoring (SIM) mode was used after PCP was extracted in triplicate using a liquid/liquid alkaline extraction. The mean PCP concentration of the three replicates was approximately 5400 ng/mL. The concentration of PCP in this case is at a much higher concentration than other PCP cases from 2020 to 2024 in Virginia and consistent with literature results for PCP fatalities. After postmortem examination (\"foam cone\" with no trauma to the body) and review of toxicology results (negative in all analyses except PCP), the cause of death was determined to be \"PCP Intoxication.\" This case provides detailed information on behavior and autopsy findings for a PCP overdose death, where death was due to PCP intoxication as opposed to intoxicated behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148868738","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}
Hind Abouzahir, Barthelemy Munkana Matadi, Hicham Benyaich
{"title":"Not a firearm: A case report of a fatal penetrating pseudo-ballistic neck injury from defective airbag deployment.","authors":"Hind Abouzahir, Barthelemy Munkana Matadi, Hicham Benyaich","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70378","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70378","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fatal injuries caused by defective airbag inflators are increasingly recognized as a distinct forensic and medicolegal issue. We describe the case of a 51-year-old male driver who was transported by emergency medical services following a low-speed frontal collision with a palm tree and was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Review of surveillance footage showed that the driver abruptly swerved in an attempt to avoid a motorcyclist immediately before impact. Emergency services were alerted by witnesses, and police investigation documented limited frontal damage localized to the front bumper and hood, without intrusion into the vehicle interior. Vehicle inspection confirmed seat belt use at the time of the collision. The driver's airbag had deployed explosively. Inspection of the steering wheel revealed that part of the cylindrical inflator capsule was missing, and multiple pieces of airbag inflator shrapnel were recovered from inside the vehicle interior. No firearms, ammunition, or cartridge cases were identified at the scene. At autopsy, a single penetrating wound was observed on the anterior aspect of the neck. Internal examination demonstrated complete transection of the trachea, esophagus, and the jugulo-carotid vascular bundle, accompanied by comminuted fractures of the cervical vertebrae and partial laceration of the spinal cord. A jagged metallic fragment, morphologically consistent with material from an airbag inflator, was found lodged within the wound track. This case highlights fatal airbag inflator rupture injuries and the importance of reporting suspected cases to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2448-2454"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534930/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148166175","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}
Enrico Pigorsch, Ronny Friedrich, Matthias Hüls, Gert Meinl
{"title":"Absolute dating of modern paper using <sup>14</sup>C bomb peak data of the paper fibers.","authors":"Enrico Pigorsch, Ronny Friedrich, Matthias Hüls, Gert Meinl","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70397","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70397","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study demonstrates a method for absolute dating of paper using the <sup>14</sup>C bomb peak and combining AMS radiocarbon measurements of paper fiber mixtures with detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the fiber composition. Radiocarbon measurements were performed on fibers of 162 paper samples with known production years between 1950 and 2024, which originate mainly from Europe/Germany. Wood-based paper fibers exhibit a radiocarbon signature that is less directly related to calendar years than that of annual plants or plant-derived substances such as starch. However, the investigation shows that for specific fiber compositions, significant correlations exist between the <sup>14</sup>C concentration in paper fiber mixtures and the production year of the paper. Three main fiber composition types were identified: (1) papers mainly composed of hardwood pulp fibers, (2) papers with mainly softwood fibers, and (3) papers consisting of 90 to 100% eucalyptus fibers. The latter two fiber mixture types show the strongest correlation between the <sup>14</sup>C concentration and the year of the paper production, permitting the dating of papers with uncertainties of as low as 3-5 years. In contrast, papers of mainly hardwood pulp fibers show a more complex relationship. However, for certain fiber compositions and time periods, reliable dating of those papers is also possible. The dating procedure is based on <sup>14</sup>C reference data specific to each fiber mixture type and mathematical models that generate <sup>14</sup>C reference curves for specific fiber compositions. These models take into account assumed harvest ages for different tree species used in pulp production.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2422-2431"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534869/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148378953","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}
Makena P McLean, Vienna C Lam, Megan Bassendale, Gail S Anderson
{"title":"Determining the utility of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for disaster victim identification (DVI).","authors":"Makena P McLean, Vienna C Lam, Megan Bassendale, Gail S Anderson","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70395","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70395","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology was evaluated as a method for electronically tracking human remains and associated identifying information during mass fatality incidents. Conventional tags are prone to physical damage and failure, which can compromise identification processes and hinder the repatriation of bodies. Nine types of uniquely numbered RFID tags were deployed in decompositional and burial environments to assess the survivability of different types of RFID tags buried, inserted, and attached to pig carcasses. The best method of insertion or attachment to keep tags in situ, and whether physical writing in pencil or permanent marker remained on the tags' surfaces. In a series of four studies of whole carcasses, pieces of tissue, as human proxies, and burials in soil, all but two tags were determined to be viable throughout the decomposition process. All tags displayed movement issues, so bone attachment sites are recommended. Handwritten labels on the tags prepared under dry conditions and when protected from decompositional fluids held up better than writing interacting with the fluids. We found the most useful tags were the LF Yellow Ear Tag and the UHF White Tag.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2268-2285"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534878/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148341517","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}
Marcello Seligardi, Antonio Banchini, Pancrazio Lezzi, Francesco Calabrò, Valentina Bugelli
{"title":"Vehicle-assisted suicidal strangulation: A case report and literature review.","authors":"Marcello Seligardi, Antonio Banchini, Pancrazio Lezzi, Francesco Calabrò, Valentina Bugelli","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70393","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70393","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vehicle-assisted suicidal strangulation is an unusual method of suicide where the victim completes suicide by pulling a ligature tied around their neck using the acceleration of the vehicle they are driving. This report describes a case of a 48-year-old man who completed suicide by tying a rope to his neck and to a parked tractor, then using his car to pull the rope. The on-scene investigation found the body a few meters from his car, which was still running, and a snapped rope tied to a tractor nearby. The autopsy revealed a bruised, encircling ligature mark with underlying injuries to the neck organs and a fracture of the hyoid bone and the C2 vertebra. Additionally, a laceration of the left parietal region was identified. A literature search identified 17 other cases of vehicle-assisted ligature strangulation, which were compared to the present one to identify common autopsy and on-scene findings. These cases usually involve high-intensity forces, which can cause severe wounds atypical for suicidal strangulation and result in messy, puzzling death scenes. As such, this case highlights a rare method of suicide and emphasizes the need for both forensic pathologists and police officers to be aware of this method to avoid misinterpretation of the on-scene and autopsy findings.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2461-2468"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534947/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148284983","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}
Sif Korsbæk Topsøe-Jensen, Carl Johan Wingren, Chiara Villa
{"title":"Forensic bruise documentation with alternate light sources: Preliminary observation on deceased individuals in a routine illuminated autopsy setting.","authors":"Sif Korsbæk Topsøe-Jensen, Carl Johan Wingren, Chiara Villa","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70404","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70404","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alternate light sources (ALS) have been suggested to improve bruise visibility for medicolegal evaluations. Previous studies have recommended darkened conditions; however, this does not reflect real-life autopsy settings, where multiple examinations are conducted simultaneously and turning off the lights is neither practical nor safe. This study evaluated the use of ALS for documenting bruises under normal lighting conditions without altering the autopsy setup. We photographed 161 bruises (99 recent, 62 non-recent) using CrimeLite® AUTO (Foster+Freeman) under common white light (CWL), violet ALS with 415 nm long-pass (VLP), violet ALS with 415 nm band-pass (VBP), and blue ALS with 445 nm long-pass (BLP). Bruises were classified as recent or non-recent based on the presence of yellow coloration. Visibility was scored using a \"modified\" Bruise Visibility Scale (BVS), and surface area was measured. Observer variability was assessed using Cohen's kappa (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC); logistic and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate BVS and size across lighting sources. We found that ALS did not enhance bruise visibility compared to CWL. VBP and BLP reduced visibility, while VLP showed occasional improvements but without statistical significance. Surface area measurements indicated that VLP visualizes bruises with larger dimensions than under CWL, whereas BLP and VBP did not. Observer agreement for the four BVS categories yielded κ values ranging from moderate to substantial, while ICCs showed excellent agreement for surface-area measurements for most light sources. Despite its limitations, the study suggests that ALS, particularly VLP, may have potential utility for bruise documentation under normal lighting conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2386-2394"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534922/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148551794","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}
Mehmet Murat Kırpınar, Zeynep Özge Dağoğlu, Sarp Yoldaş, Merve Rana Altunel Ülkü, İrem Yıldırım, Ömer Faruk Demirel
{"title":"Forensic psychiatric evaluation of legal capacity in older adults: Clinical and cognitive correlates.","authors":"Mehmet Murat Kırpınar, Zeynep Özge Dağoğlu, Sarp Yoldaş, Merve Rana Altunel Ülkü, İrem Yıldırım, Ömer Faruk Demirel","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70424","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70424","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forensic psychiatric evaluation of capacity is commonly requested in clinical practice, particularly in relation to financial decision-making and power of attorney. However, empirical data describing real-world assessment processes and associated clinical factors remain limited. This study examined patients referred for forensic psychiatric evaluation of capacity in a specialized outpatient setting and explored the relationship between routinely administered cognitive screening measures and clinical determinations. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1247 individuals aged 60-98 years who underwent evaluation between 2020 and 2026. Sociodemographic characteristics, clinical assessments, and results of cognitive screening tools-including the Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Verbal Fluency Test, and Clock Drawing Test-were analyzed in relation to clinical capacity determinations. Most individuals (90.9%) were assessed as possessing capacity, while 9.1% were considered to lack capacity and were recommended for guardianship. Individuals lacking capacity were older, had fewer years of education, and demonstrated lower performance across all cognitive measures. In multivariable analyses, MMSE and verbal fluency scores were associated with clinical determinations of capacity, whereas demographic variables were not independently associated. ROC analyses showed that MMSE had the highest discriminatory performance among individual measures. Cognitive screening results were interpreted as supportive information within a comprehensive forensic evaluation rather than as standalone determinants of legal capacity. These findings reflect routine clinical practice and highlight the importance of integrating cognitive, clinical, and contextual factors in forensic capacity assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2286-2292"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13534960/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148671848","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}
{"title":"Commentary on: Maskell PD, de Korompay A. Letter to the Editor-The transition point from zero-order to first order in blood alcohol elimination curves. Where is it? J Forensic Sci. 2025;70 (1):398-400. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.15650.","authors":"Aaron Olson","doi":"10.1111/1556-4029.70388","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1556-4029.70388","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":94080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of forensic sciences","volume":" ","pages":"2474-2475"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148355301","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}