Journal of forensic sciences最新文献

This systematic review aims to report on the use of Statement Validity Analysis (SVA) with minors involved in criminal justice proceedings. We conducted a literature search of six bibliographic databases up to March 2024. Additional searches were performed using citation tracing strategies. Nineteen studies published between 1991 and 2023 were retained. Most were published between 1991 and 2000, mainly in the USA. A scientific gap was observed for 10 years before studies resumed between 2011 and 2022. These 19 studies involved 2931 children; most were girls (n = 2080; 71%). The mean age was 9.4 years (SD = 2.40; min = 2; max = 17.5). Most studies did not mention the nature of the relationship between the child and the alleged perpetrator of sexual violence, three studies involved intra-family violence and six studies involved victims of intra- and extra-family violence. Nearly 75% of the interviewers were trained with SVA methods. Most were mental health professionals (52.6%) or police officers (15.8%). No study used the SVA as a whole, 10 studies used 19 criteria of the Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), and no study used the Validity Check List (VCL). Most studies performed SVA on interview transcripts (n = 8), and two studies performed their analysis on both verbatims and video. The conclusion of our literature review highlights the methodological weaknesses of these studies and encourages more research about the use of SVA in the judicial field to reduce the risk of misleading the judiciary.

Traditionally, firearm and toolmark examiners manually evaluate the similarity of features on two bullets using comparison microscopy. Advances in microscopy have made it possible to collect 3D topographic data, and several automated comparison algorithms have been introduced for the comparison of bullet striae using these data. In this study, open-source approaches for cross-correlation, congruent matching profile segments, consecutive matching striations, and a random forest model were evaluated. A statistical characterization of these automated approaches was performed using four datasets of consecutively manufactured firearms to provide a challenging comparison scenario. Each automated approach was applied to all samples in a pairwise fashion, and classification performance was compared. Based on these findings, a Bayesian network was empirically learned and constructed to leverage the strengths of each individual approach, model the relationship between the automated results, and combine them into a posterior probability for the given comparison. The network was evaluated similarly to the automated approaches, and the results were compared. The developed Bayesian network classified 99.6% of the samples correctly, and the resultant probability distributions were significantly separated more so than the automated approaches when used in isolation.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have expanded the spectrum of forensic DNA analysis by facilitating efficient and precise genotyping of a large number of genetic markers. Yet, challenges persist regarding complex sample processing and assurance of equal molar concentrations across pooled samples. Since optimal cluster density is crucial for sequencing performance, the determination of both quantity and quality is indispensable for library preparation. In this study, we investigated the application of the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer for library quality control, as studies for forensic approaches, particularly for highly degraded postmortem samples, are rare. Our analysis encompassed assessing total DNA concentrations, fluorescence unit (FU) values, and adapter dimer concentrations in purified DNA libraries derived from buccal swabs and tissue samples of decomposed corpses. The sensitivity study tested a serial dilution derived from buccal swabs and revealed a decrease in FU values and an increase in adapter dimers with declining DNA input concentrations. Deviations in total DNA concentrations and average peak heights between the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer runs indicated a lack of repeatability in data and presented challenges in accurate quantification, which was also observed in previous studies. Yet, the analysis of degraded samples from decomposed human remains has shown the ability to detect adapter dimer concentrations, which can be crucial for the quality of subsequent NGS library preparation and sequencing success. Therefore, the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer proves to be a valuable tool for NGS quality control.

Gutierrez RE, Prokesch EJ. The false promise of firearms examination validation studies: Lay controls, simplistic comparisons, and the failure to soundly measure misidentification rates. J Forensic Sci. 2024;69(4):1334–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.15531

The list of affiliations listed for RE Gutierrez has been modified; in that, the Academy Standards Board, Firearms and Toolmarks Consensus Body, has been removed. This comunication also corrects two inadvertent typographical errors from the publication. First, Reference 53 included a misspelling of Dr. Ryan Lilien’s name (“Lillien” as opposed to the correct “Lilien”). Second, Table 2 provided an incorrect value for the inconclusive rate on different source comparisons for the “Duez examiners” group (15% as opposed to the correct 13%). That typographical error did not, however, carry over into other figures and calculations (e.g. confidence intervals) provided throughout the remainder of the piece.

We apologize for these errors.

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: J. Louhelainen, and D. Miller, “Forensic Investigation of a Shawl Linked to the “Jack the Ripper” Murders.” Journal of Forensic Sciences 65 no. 1 (2020): 295–303, https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.14038.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 12 March 2019 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been published by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Michael Peat; and the Publisher, Wiley Periodicals LLC, on behalf of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Following an investigation by the publisher, the Expression of Concern has been agreed due to concerns raised by third parties after publication regarding the conclusions drawn from the mtDNA analysis performed by the authors. Related concerns were also summarized in two Letters to the Editor [1, 2] published by the journal, to which the authors responded with their own Letters to the Editor [3, 4]. During the investigation, the publisher and Editor-in-Chief made every effort to obtain from the authors the original raw data from the mtDNA analysis. However, the authors stated that the data were no longer available, due to instrument data failure and other complications. Through further investigation it was concluded that, because it was not possible to examine the original data, no determination could be made regarding the third-party complaints. The journal is issuing this Expression of Concern because the concerns regarding the data and the results presented cannot be resolved. The authors have been informed about this Expression of Concern and agree to its publication.

In the United States, illicit fentanyl is often trafficked as blue tablets mimicking the legitimate M-30 oxycodone tablet produced by Mallinckrodt. The analysis of dyes extracted from seized fentanyl tablets could provide a useful tool for law enforcement to establish linkages between cases and could prove useful for attributing a seizure to a given trafficking organization. Fentanyl tablet seizures associated with a particular drug trafficking organization (DTO), either through investigative or intelligence information, were used as the sample set for this study. The blue dye from the tablets was isolated by solid phase extraction and then qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. This research revealed that the illicit tableting facilities use a different dye than several known pharmaceutical companies. The concentration of dye in individual tablets within a seizure proved to be very minimal, and the small sample size made it difficult to draw linkages from case to case. Analysis of the dyes could not effectively differentiate between the drug trafficking organizations in the tested population due to each DTO using the same dye; however, it is important to note that the dye found was consistent between illicit tablets.

For the past decade, illicitly manufactured fentanyl has been a primary contributor in drug overdose deaths regardless of age. The pediatric population is particularly vulnerable to fentanyl exposure, yet there are limited case reports involving this population. Postmortem cases from 2019 to 2023 were retrospectively analyzed to determine the prevalence of fentanyl in decedents between 0 and 12 years of age. Over this time frame, the fentanyl positivity rate increased from 2.6 to 6.2% (n = 632). The most commonly reported age group was 0–4 years, with a peak around 1 year of age for toddlers. Fentanyl concentrations in blood (n = 573) ranged from 0.19 to 360 ng/mL (mean 18 ng/mL, median 6.9 ng/mL). Polydrug use was present in 428 cases; midazolam (n = 96) and methamphetamine (n = 66) were the most common drugs found concurrently in blood with fentanyl, followed by markers of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, such as xylazine (n = 23), para-fluorofentanyl (n = 18), and acetyl fentanyl (n = 17). This report contrasts the differences in postmortem pediatric fentanyl toxicology results for three groups of case histories: likely medical intervention (n = 113), pregnancy/birth related (n = 136), and inadvertent/intentional exposure (n = 196). Overall, this study provides a retrospective review of postmortem pediatric fentanyl concentrations in a variety of biological matrices and highlights the need for comprehensive toxicology testing in postmortem pediatric casework.