Death is in the air: Confirmation of decomposition without a corpse

Abstract

This case report summarises the investigation of a death scene in the trunk of a car. Air sampling, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry on samples of carpet and tyre well scrapings from the vehicle's trunk were utilised to confirm the presence of a human decompositional event even though no human remains were discovered in the vehicle. Air sampling has been used in numerous industries for many decades, but only recently has been applied to forensic investigations although it has been at the centre of controversy over the use of this technique in such cases. This report also describes the value of such investigative tools and points to the discovery of evidence, which, without the use of these techniques, would not have been identified.

Keywords: Air sampling; GC/MS; Human decomposition; LIBS; Odour mortis.