0000000000701807
AUTHOR
Lorna Dawson
Investigation of sterols as potential biomarkers for the detection of pig (S. s. domesticus) decomposition fluid in soils
This study was carried out to evaluate the potential of using cholesterol and coprostanol, as indicators for the detection of decomposition fluid of buried pigs (S. s. domesticus) in soils. In May 2007, four pig carcasses (~35. kg) were buried in shallow graves (~40. cm depth) at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in Canada. Two pigs were exhumed after three months (Pig 1, Pig 2) and six months (Pig 3, Pig 4) post burial. Soil samples were collected beneath the pig carcasses (~40. cm depth) and from grave walls (~15-20. cm depth) as well as from a parallel control site. Coprostanol and cholesterol were extracted from soils, purified with solid phase extraction (SPE) and analy…
Steroid fingerprints: Efficient biomarkers of human decomposition fluids in soil
Abstract The decomposition of animal and human cadavers can lead to comprehensive chemical and biochemical changes in soil, which can provide helpful information for the analysis of archaeological and crime scenes. The current study focused specifically on the concentration and distribution patterns of steroids in soil with the aim of assessing their suitability for demonstrating the presence of human decomposition products. Soil samples were collected from a forensic site where a human corpse had been lying on the soil surface for 18 days. Total organic carbon (TOC) and steroid concentrations were analysed in soil samples taken from beneath the body at the time the corpse was removed and a…
Temporal fatty acid profiles of human decomposition fluid in soil
Abstract We studied the changes in concentration and relative abundance of human-derived fatty acids (FAs) in soil over a period of one year. The study is based on analysis of soil underneath a human body that lay on the soil surface for 18 days before it was discovered. Soil samples were taken when the body was removed, and also 358 days later. Large amounts of the total FA concentration at the start of the measurement period were still present one year after the removal of the body. The FA profile suggested that extensive saturated FA reduction occurred during the first 18 days after deposition. 10-Hydroxystearic acid and FA salts, which are characteristic of adipocere, were abundant in a…