300
Views
0
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Review Article

A review of forensic applications of physicochemical parameters of soil beneath decomposed cadavers

, , , &
Pages 1-19 | Received 02 Jun 2022, Accepted 19 Jan 2023, Published online: 27 Apr 2023

References

  • Martin C, Maesen P, Minchilli D, et al. Forensic taphonomy: Characterization of the gravesoil chemistry using a multivariate approach combining chemical and volatile analyses. Forensic Sci Int. 2021;318:110569.
  • Ubelaker DH. Forensic Taphonomy: The Postmortem Fate of Human Remains (HAGLUND WD and SORG MH, Eds.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1997. V, Taphonomic applications in forensic anthropology, pp. 77–84.
  • Haglund WD. Forensic taphonomy in Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques (James SH and Nordby JJ, Eds.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 2005. VII, Forensic Taphonomy, pp. 99–114.
  • Carter DO, Tibbett M. Does repeated burial of skeletal muscle tissue (Ovis aries) in soil affect subsequent decomposition? App. Soil Ecol. 2008;40(3):529–535.
  • Galloway A. Forensic Taphonomy: The Postmortem Fate of Human Remains (Haglund WD and Sorg MH, Eds.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 1997. VIII, The process of decomposition: A model from the Arizona-Sonoran desert, pp.139–150.
  • Davis JB, Goff ML. Decomposition patterns in terrestrial and intertidal habitats on Oahu island and Coconut island, Hawaii. J Forensic Sci. 2000;45(4):836–842.
  • Rodriguez WC, Bass WM. Insect activity and its relationship to decay rates of human cadavers in east Tennessee. J. Forensic Sci. 1983;28(2):423–432.
  • Vass AA, Bass WM, Wolt JD, et al. Time since death determinations of human cadavers using soil solution. J. Forensic Sci. 1992;37(5):1236–1253.
  • Morovic-Budak A. Experiences in the process of putrefaction in corpses buried in earth. J. Med. Sci. Law. 1965;5(1):40–43.
  • Rodriguez WC, Bass WM. Decomposition of buried bodies and methods that may aid in their location. J. Forensic Sci. 1985;30(3):836–852.
  • VanLaerhoven SL, Anderson GS. Insect succession on buried carrion in two biogeoclimatic zones of British Columbia. J. Forensic Sci. 1999;44(1):32–43.
  • Kocárek P. Decomposition and Coleoptera succession on exposed carrion of small mammal in Opava, Czech Republic. Eur J Soil Biol. 2003;39(1):31–45.
  • Motter MG. A contribution to the study of the fauna of the grave a study of one hundred and fifty disinterments, with some additional experimental observations. J. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 1898;6(4):201–231.
  • Reed HB. A study of dog carcass communities in Tennessee, with special reference to the insects. American Mid. Natur. 1958;59(1):213–245.
  • Berryman HE. Disarticulation pattern and tooth mark artifacts associated with pig scavenging of human remains: A case study, in Advances in Forensic Taphonomy: Method, Theory and Archaeological Perspectives (Haglund WD, Sorg MH, Eds.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2002. 487–495.
  • DeVault TL, Brisbin IL, Jr, Rhodes OE. Factors influencing the acquisition of rodent carrion by vertebrate scavengers and decomposers. Can. J. Zooolgy. 2004;82(3):502–509.
  • Willey P, Snyder LM. Canid modification of human remains: implications for time- since-death estimations. J. Forensic Sci. 1989;34(4):894–901.
  • Carter DO, Tibbett M. Taphonomicmycota: Fungi with forensic potential. J Forensic Sci. 2003;48(1):168–171.
  • Carter DO, Tibbett M. Microbial decomposition of skeletal muscle tissue (Ovis aries) in a sandy loam soil at different temperatures. Soil Biol. Biochem. 2006;38(5):1139–1145.
  • Hopkins DW, Wiltshire PEJ, Turner BD. Microbial characteristics of soils from graves: An investigation at the interface of soil microbiology and forensic science. Appl. Soil Ecol. 2000;14(3):283–288.
  • Tibbett M, Carter DO, Haslam T, et al. A laboratory incubation method for determining the rate of microbiological degradation of skeletal muscle tissue in soil. J Forensic Sci. 2004;49(3):560–565.
  • Fitzpatrick RW. Soil analysis in forensic taphonomy: Chemical and biological effects of buried human remains (Tibbett M, Carter DO) Boca Rotan FL: CRC Press; 2008. I, Nature, distribution and origin of soil materials in the forensic comparison of soils, pp.1–25.
  • Brookes PC. The use of microbial parameters in monitoring soil pollution by heavy metals. Biol. Fert. Soils. 1995;19(4):269–279.
  • Houck M. Material analysis in forensic science. Elsevier UK: Academic Press. 2006; pp. 1–95.
  • Smale D. The examination of paint flakes, glass and soils for forensic purposes, with special reference to electron probe microanalysis. J Forensic Sci Soc. 1973;13(1):5–15.
  • Smeck NE, Runge ECA, MacKintosh EE, et al. Concepts and Interactions() Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1983. I, Dynamics and genetic modelling of soil systems, in Pedogenesis and Soil Taxonomy, pp. 51–81.
  • Ruffell DF, McKinley J. Forensic geoscince: Applications of geology, geomorphology and geophysics to criminal investigations. Earth Sci. Rev. 2004;69:235–247.
  • Murray RC. Evidence from the Earth: Forensic Geology and Criminal Investigation. Mountain Press, Missoula, Montana. 2004. pp. 219.
  • Dent BB, Forbes SL, Stuart BH. Review of human decomposition processes in soil. Environ. Geol. 2004;45(1):576–585.
  • Garrison EC. Techniques in Archaeological Geology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag. 2003. pp. 121–152.
  • Spennemann DHR, Franke B. Archaeological techniques for exhumations: A unique data source for crime scene investigations. Forensic Sci Int. 1995;74(1-2):5–15.
  • Carter DO, Yellwless D, Tibbett M. Cadaver decomposition in terrestrial ecosystem. Naturewissenschaften. 2007;4:12–24.
  • Aitkenhead-Peterson JA, Owings CG, Alexander MB, et al. Mapping the lateral extent of human cadaver decomposition with soil chemistry. Forensic Sci Int. 2012;216(1-3):127–134.
  • Wilson AS, Janaway RC, Holland AD, et al. Modelling the buried human body environment in upland climes using three contrasting field sites. Forensic Sci. Int. 2013;169(1):6–18.
  • Pringle JK, Cassella JP, Jervis JR. Preliminary soil water conductivity analysis to date clandestine burials of homicide victims. Forensic Sci Int. 2010;198(1-3):126–133.
  • Jenny H. Arrangement of soil series and types according to functions of soil forming factors. Soil Sci. 1945;61(1):375–391.
  • Vass AA. Order Mortis. Forensic Sci. Int. 2012;222:234–241.
  • Aitkenhead-Peterson JA, Alexander MB, Bytheway JA, et al. Forensic Entomology: International Dimension and Frontier (Tomberlin JK and Benbow ME, Eds.). Boca Raton, NY: CRC Press, 2015. XXIII, Applications of soil chemistry in forensic entomology, pp. 283–296.
  • Statheropoulous M, Agapiou A, Spiliopoulou C, et al. Enviornmental aspects of VOCs evolved in the early stages of human decomposition. Sci. Total Environ. 2007;385(4):221–227.
  • Dekeirsschieter J, Verheggen FJ, Gohy M, et al. Cadaveric volatile compounds released by decaying pig carcasses (Sus domesticus L.) in different biotopes. Forensic Sci Int. 2009;189(1–3):46–53.
  • Wiltshire PEJ. Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics Switzerland: Springer Science; 2009. IX Forensic Ecology, Botany, and Palynology: Some Aspects of Their Role in Criminal Investigation, pp. 129–150.
  • Gradusova O, Nesterina E. Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics Switzerland: Springer Science; 2009. V The Current Status of Forensic Soil Examination in the Russian Federation, pp. 61–73.
  • Fancher JP, Aitkenhead-Peterson JA, Farris T, et al. An evaluation of soil chemistry in human cadaver decomposition islands: Potential for estimating postmortem interval (PMI). Forensic Sci Int. 2017;279:130–139.
  • Comstock JL, LeBlanc HN, Forbes SL. Soil in criminal and environmental forensics (Henk Kars H, Eijke LV) Switzerland: Springer; 2016. XVIII, Analysis of decomposition fluid collected from carcasses decomposing in the presence and absence of insects, pp. 275–296.
  • Benninger LA, Carter DO, Forbes SL. The biochemical alteration of soil beneath a decomposing carcass. Forensic Sci Int. 2008;180(2-3):70–75.
  • Carter DO, Yellwless D, Tibbett M. Temperature affects microbial decomposition of cadavers (Rattus rattus) in contrasting soils. App. Soil Ecol. 2008;40(1):129–137.
  • Stokes KL, Forbes SL, Benninger LA, et al. Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics Switzerland: Springer Science; 2009. XXIII, Decomposition studies using animal models in contrasting environments: evidence from temporal changes in soil chemistry and microbial activity, pp. 357–376.
  • Stokes KL, Forbes SL, Tibbet M. Freezing skeletal muscle tissue does not affect its decomposition in soil:Evidence from temporal changes in tissue mass, microbial activity and soil chemistry based on excised samples. Forensic Sci. Int. 2009;183:6–13.
  • Haslam TC, Tibbett M. Soils of contrasting pH affect the decomposition of buried mammalian (Ovisaries) skeletal muscle tissue. J. Forensic Sci. 2009;54(4):900–904.
  • Tumer AR, Karacaoglu E, Namli A, et al. Effects of different types of soil on decomposition: An experimental study. Leg Med (Tokyo). 2013;15(3):149–156.
  • Szelecz I, Koenig I, Seppey CVW, et al. Soil chemistry changes beneath decomposing cadavers over a one-year period. Forensic Sci. Int. 2018;286:155–165.
  • Szelecz I, Lösch S, Seppey CVW, et al. Comparative analysis of bones, mites, soil chemistry, nematodes and soil micro-eukaryotes from a suspected homicide to estimate the postmortem interval. Sci. Reports. 2018;25(8):1–10.
  • Yong SK, Jalaludin NH, Brau E, et al. Changes in soil nutrients (ammonia, phosphate and nitrate) associated with rat carcass decomposition under tropical climatic conditions. Soil Res. 2019;57(5):482–488. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR18279.
  • Singh S, Madhu B. Alteration in physicochemical parameters of soil beneath rabbit carcass: Consequence of carcass decomposition. Indian J. Forensic Med. Toxicol. 2020;14(2):138–145.
  • Maria MQ, Maldwyn JE, Andrew H, et al. Dynamic soil nutrient and moisture changes under decomposing vertebrate carcasses. Biogeochemistry. 2019;146:71–82.
  • Wang J, Du X, Zhang Y, et al. Effect of substrate on identification of microbial communities in poultry carcass composting and microorganisms associated with poultry carcass decomposition. J Agric Food Chem. 2016;64(36):6838–6847.
  • Breton HA, Kirkwood A, Carter DO, et al. Soil in criminal and environmental forensics (Henk Kars H, Eijke LV) Switzerland: Springer; 2016. XVI, Changes in soil microbial activity following cadaver decomposition during spring and summer months in Southern Ontario, pp. 243–262.
  • Fiedler S, Graw M. Decomposition of buried corpses, with special reference to the formation of adipocere. Naturwissenschaften. 2003;90(7):291–300.
  • Keenan SW, Emmons AL, Taylor LS, et al. Spatial impacts of a multi-individual grave on microbial and microfaunal communities and soil biogeochemistry. PLoS One. 2018;13(12):e0208845.
  • Klonowski B, Rössler A, Gu X, et al. Influence of a badger carcass on soil chemistry and Collembola. Acta Soc Zool Bohem. 2015;79:235–241.
  • Melis C, Selva N, Teurlings I, et al. Soil and vegetation nutrient response to bison carcasses in Białowie_za Primeval Forest, Poland. Ecol. Res. 2007;22(1):807–813.
  • Lwiza M. Assessment of Nitrate Levels in Water and Soils for Agriculture and Human Utilization in Singida District, Tanzania 2016. Masters Thesis, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.
  • Hachem M, Sharma BK, Naggar EI, et al. Systematic approaches for soil analysis in forensic investigation. Int. Conf. Adv. Sci. Eng. Technol. ASET 2020;1–11. https://doi.org/10.1109/ASET48392.2020.9118299
  • Sangwan P, Nain T, Singal K, et al. Soil as a tool of revelation in forensic science: a review. Anal Methods. 2020;12(43):5150–5159.
  • Fitzpatrick RW, Raven MD, Forrester ST. Criminal and Environmental Soil Forensics (Ritz K, Dawson L, Miller D). UK: Springer. 2009. VIII, A systematic approach to soil forensics: criminal case studies involving transference from crime scene to forensic evidence, pp105–128.
  • Pastor A, Gallello G, Cervera ML, et al. Mineral soil composition interfacing archaeology and chemistry. TrAC, Trends Anal Chem. 2016;78:48–59.
  • Zhao L, Li Y, Wang S, et al. Adsorption and transformation of ammonium ion in a loose-pore geothermal reservoir: batch and column experiments. J Contam Hydrol. 2016;192:50–59.
  • Neina D. The role of soil pH in plant nutrition and soil remediation. Appl Environ Soil Sci. 2019;2019:1–9.
  • Ioan BG, Manea C, Hanganu B, et al. The chemistry decomposition in human corpses. Rev. Chim. 2017;68(6):1450–1454.
  • Vishwakarma AK, Behera T, Rai R, et al. Impact assessment of coal mining induced subsidence on native soil of South Eastern Coal Fields: India. Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources. 2020;6(1):1–21.
  • Huissteden JV. 2020. Permafrost carbon quantities and fluxes In Thawing Permafrost. Springer, Cham; pp. 179–274.
  • Kumari N, Mohan C. Clay and Clay Minerals (Nascimento GM Eds.). IntechOpen, UK, 2021. II, Basics of clay minerals and their characteristic properties. Clay and Clay Minerals, pp. 15–43.
  • Fitzpatrick RW. 2013. Soil Forensic Analysis In Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science (eds. Jamieson, A. & Moenssens, A. A). John Wiley: Chichester.
  • Fitzpatrick RW. Forensic earth science: getting the dirt on crime. Faculty of Sciences. The University of Adelaide. e-Science. 2012;2(1):5–11.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.