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Explosive Damage to the Head
Explosive Damage to the Head R. M. MITCHELL and C. F. TIPPETT Home Ofice Forensic Science Laboratory, Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales On the 5th October, 1968, the Home Office Forensic Science Laboratory a t Cardiff received a request from the Gwent Constabulary for assistance in the investigation of the death of a man whose headless body was found on a remote mountainside. Figure 1 shows the injuries.
Figure 1. Body of the deceased.
I t was immediately apparent that those parts of the head above the lower lip had been blown off with an explosive as parts of the brain and skull were scattered over the mountainside. A search revealed : (1) Wires around the body of the type fitted to a Hydrostar detonator. (2) A part of one exploded detonator attached to the ends of a pair of wires. (3) A gas-lighter type dry battery near the left knee of the deceased. The amount of wire found was more than that normally attached to a Hydrostar detonator and this posed a question-whether or not more than one was used. Svensson and Wendel (1965) state that one detonator exploded in the mouth showed no external damage to the face, but merely resulted in internal injury to the throat and breathing organs. They added that the effect of exploding dynamite in the mouth was generally to tear the head away. Although this seems to indicate that more than one detonator was used, the details are not sufficiently specific to justify this conclusio~land it was decided to carry out tests using heads and shoulders of skinned sheep. The only external damage to result from the exploding of one detonator in the mouth was the cracking of facial bones, see Figure 2. When two detonators were exploded in another head, damage similar to that of the dead man resulted (compare figs. 1 and 3). I t was also of interest that in this test the remains of only one detonator attached to its wires was discovered. 26
Figure 2.
Head of skinned sheep after explosion of one detonator in mouth
Figure 3.
Head of skinned sheep after explosion of two detonators in mouth.
Acknowledgements The authors are indebted to W. Farley, Esq., XI.C., Cliief Constable of the Gwent Constabulary for permission to publish details of the case and Figure 1, and also to Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., and in particular to J. D. G. Greenwood, Esq., who assisted with the explosive tests. Reference SVENSSON, A., and WENDEL,F., 1965. Techniques of Crime Investigation, 350, American Elsevier Inc.
Figure 1. Body of the deceased.
I t was immediately apparent that those parts of the head above the lower lip had been blown off with an explosive as parts of the brain and skull were scattered over the mountainside. A search revealed : (1) Wires around the body of the type fitted to a Hydrostar detonator. (2) A part of one exploded detonator attached to the ends of a pair of wires. (3) A gas-lighter type dry battery near the left knee of the deceased. The amount of wire found was more than that normally attached to a Hydrostar detonator and this posed a question-whether or not more than one was used. Svensson and Wendel (1965) state that one detonator exploded in the mouth showed no external damage to the face, but merely resulted in internal injury to the throat and breathing organs. They added that the effect of exploding dynamite in the mouth was generally to tear the head away. Although this seems to indicate that more than one detonator was used, the details are not sufficiently specific to justify this conclusio~land it was decided to carry out tests using heads and shoulders of skinned sheep. The only external damage to result from the exploding of one detonator in the mouth was the cracking of facial bones, see Figure 2. When two detonators were exploded in another head, damage similar to that of the dead man resulted (compare figs. 1 and 3). I t was also of interest that in this test the remains of only one detonator attached to its wires was discovered. 26
Figure 2.
Head of skinned sheep after explosion of one detonator in mouth
Figure 3.
Head of skinned sheep after explosion of two detonators in mouth.
Acknowledgements The authors are indebted to W. Farley, Esq., XI.C., Cliief Constable of the Gwent Constabulary for permission to publish details of the case and Figure 1, and also to Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., and in particular to J. D. G. Greenwood, Esq., who assisted with the explosive tests. Reference SVENSSON, A., and WENDEL,F., 1965. Techniques of Crime Investigation, 350, American Elsevier Inc.