Handcrafted firearm suicide: About the unusual use of a mole gun.

The body of a man was found in a workshop at the back of his home, a metal pipe embedded in his chest. In the immediate vicinity of the body, among various tools, was a machine containing a holster hit of lead shot evoking a mole-trap-type "taupe gun" (mole gun). The findings at the scene and the presence of a metal tube, sinkers, and a flock in the chest are in favour of the use of a homemade firearm. The autopsy and CT scan revealed atypical ballistic thoracic trauma responsible for a dilaceration of both the heart and thoracic aorta that caused the death. The autopsy also found a contused wound at the back of the skull without intracranial lesion, which may be due to the fall of the victim after the thoracic trauma. There is no other traumatic lesion and in particular no lesion of seizure, constraint, or defense. Toxicological analyses revealed the presence of alcoholic impregnation at the time of death. These findings, confronted with the expertise of a balistician, made it possible to understand how the victim used a mole gun to cause these lesions. A metal tube was used as a cannon to aim more surely at the heart but also as a means of triggering the propulsion mechanism of the trap without having to stretch out the arm. The tube, thinner than the barrel, had disengaged from its tip to be embedded with the lead shot in the chest of the victim.

[Posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence: A French pilot study]. / La croissance post-traumatique chez les victimes de violences conjugales : une étude pilote dans la Vienne.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to: (1) evaluate posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence, (2) compare and characterize this posttraumatic growth with the one measured in survivors of other types of violence, and (3) evaluate post-traumatic stress disorder and its relationship with posttraumatic growth in our clinical population. METHODS: We realized a monocentric pilot study in Poitiers (Vienne, France) recruiting 17 survivors of intimate partner violence and 42 survivors of other types of violence from two medical departments: the Unit of Forensic Medicine, where victims are oriented following complaints, and the Psychotrauma Center. Participants were administrated questionnaires comprising socio-demographics data and specific scales, namely the PTGI and PCL-5. RESULTS: We found a higher prevalence of posttraumatic growth in survivors of intimate partner violence (82 %), when compared with survivors of sexual assault and other interpersonal types of violence (52 % and 53 %, respectively). Posttraumatic growth was low to moderate, and faster as it was detected in victims recruited in the Unit of Forensic Medicine. All domains of posttraumatic growth were positively affected, i.e. higher scores from the PTGI were recorded in survivors of intimate partner violence. No difference was found when results were compared between groups from the Psychotrauma Center. We were unable to identify socio-demographic predictors of posttraumatic growth. À posttraumatic stress disorder was found in survivors of intimate partner violence, and negatively related to posttraumatic growth. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing post-traumatic growth across such conditions and using specific and recognized scales. Our pilot study demonstrated that survivors of intimate partner violence were able to develop low to moderate posttraumatic growth faster than survivors of other types of violence. All domains of posttraumatic growth were affected, demonstrating the ability of survivors to withstand adversity. Scientific data regarding the link between posttraumatic growth and posttraumatic stress disorder is unclear, probably depending on the trauma, the circumstances, the timing of the measurement. In our study, we found a clear negative correlation between the two parameters. Our results underline the necessity to provide overall and rapid intervention in survivors of intimate partner violence, comprising legal, psychological, social and medical approaches, to facilitate the development of posttraumatic growth.

Pathology diagnosis of an atypical thyroid cartilage lesion.

In forensic practice, laryngeal lesions are of particular interest for the pathologist, as they may sign foul play. We report the case of a decedent, whose body was found in an advanced state of putrefaction, at the bottom of a ledge, after a one-month disappearance. The face and neck were skeletised. The autopsy found multiple traumatic injuries. The hyoid bone was separated from the other laryngeal structures and seemed to be macroscopically normal. However, the thyroid cartilage had a thin notch at the base of the right upper horn. The nature of this notch was determined by microscopic examination: analysis showed incompletely ossified fibrous tissue, bordered by a line of enchondral ossification. We concluded that the notch was an old fracture, not concomitant with the polytrauma secondary to the fall that was the cause of death. This case shows that microscopic examination may allow the distinction between recent and old wound. Such a distinction is especially important in this context of polytrauma, where lesions could have been secondary to a fall, caused by a third party or unconnected with events.