Perpetrator induced changes helping the investigation of a homicide -a case report

It can be assumed that every criminal action committed is with an intention to escape capture. One of the most common methods employed by criminals to delude homicide investigators is, therefore, disposal of the body. One aspect of the criminal’s thinking is that putrefactive changes will make it challenging to recover evidence and even to identify the body in most homicides. We report a peculiar case where the method of homicide and the manner of disposal of the body preserved vital evidence that helped uncover the circumstances surrounding the death of the deceased. The body of a 38-yearold male was found buried in a forest area; of which the legs had been amputated, and the dismembered limbs had been separately buried in a gunny bag. The autopsy revealed noticeable putrefactive changes that revealed important information such as the identity of the individual, cause and manner of death. The cause of death was determined to be due to haemorrhage because of sharp force injuries. This was helped by adipocerous changes that took place in the body, facilitated by the perpetrators themselves through the method of disposal of the body and the way in which the crime was committed.