1Post Graduate Resident, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India
2Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India
3Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India
4Additional Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda, Punjab, India
Artifacts are physical marks or changes that occur postmortem or as a result of the handling or preservation of the body, rather than being directly related to the injury or disease process that occurred during the individual’s life. However, these artifacts can often be mistaken for antemortem injuries—wounds or trauma sustained before death.
A 35-year-old male who left his home in anger following heated argument with his wife. A missing person report was subsequently filed by his family members at a nearby police station the next day. After 4 days of search operation carried out by the police and family members, foul play was suspected and police interrogated wife of the deceased following which dead body was recovered from the backyard of the individual’s own residence. As a body decomposes, Gas formation under the skin can create blistering or ruptures that resemble the appearance of gunshot injuries (pellet injuries or Bullet injury), similarly artifacts can be present over external surface further confusing the examiner.
It is necessary to distinguish between actual gunshot wounds and their potential mimics to avoid misinterpretation and improve the reliability of forensic findings and enhance the accuracy of death investigations.
Artifacts, Gunshot Mimics, Advanced Decomposition Changes, Lytic Lesions
