SEM-EDX Analysis of Gunshot Residue on Pig Cranial Bone Following Decomposition and Maceration

Distinguishing between projectile and blunt force or sharp force trauma can be complicated by processes that result in fragmentation or loss of skeletal features. Postmortem processes that obscure skeletal features may result in the inability to properly determine the mechanism of trauma using morphology alone. The presence of gunshot residue (GSR) is indicative of a gunshot event and can be used to differentiate between etiologies of skeletal trauma. Primer GSR is composed of barium (Ba), antimony (Sb), and lead (Pb), which are vaporized during the firearm discharge and can be deposited in small quantities on surfaces within proximity of a gunshot event. Scanning Electron Microscopes with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) have been used in the past to detect GSR on a variety of surfaces including bone. The purpose of this study is to determine the ability to detect GSR on bone tissue using SEM-EDX following warm-water maceration or decomposition.