Cocaine in decomposed human remains.
Publication/Presentation Date
11-1-1991
Abstract
From March 1988 through March 1990, at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office toxicology laboratory, samples from 77 decomposed human bodies were tested for the presence of cocaine, employing gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The material analyzed included decomposed soft tissue, bloody decomposition fluid, mummified tissue, maggots, and beetle feces. Twenty-two cases (28.6%) were positive for cocaine, many of these cases in states of advanced decomposition. These findings indicate the usefulness of testing decomposed tissue for cocaine in all cases where its presence is suspected. This is contrary to what might be expected, since cocaine is generally labile and rapidly broken down by both enzymatic and nonenzymatic mechanisms.
Volume
36
Issue
6
First Page
1732
Last Page
1735
ISSN
0022-1198
Published In/Presented At
Manhoff, D. T., Hood, I., Caputo, F., Perry, J., Rosen, S., & Mirchandani, H. G. (1991). Cocaine in decomposed human remains. Journal of forensic sciences, 36(6), 1732–1735.
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
1770339
Department(s)
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Document Type
Article