Characterization of bone structures injuries caused by an explosive artifact in the Colombian armed conflict -two case reports within the Justice and Peace Law framework-

Abstract

The use of explosive devices, both conventional and unconventional, has been more or less often in the Colombian internal armed conflict. According to statistical data provided by the Northwest Regional branch office of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, 636 deaths due to explosives of various types, served by the different Basic Units, Sectional and Regional branch offices of the Institute across the country, from January 2011 to August 15, 2012, were registered (1).
We report two cases in which the autopsy was performed at the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF), -Northwest Regional and Bogotá Regional branch offices-, and afterwards an interdisciplinary examination was carried out in the forensic anthropology laboratories of these Regional offices. There, the macroscopic and radiographic characteristics of bone injuries caused by explosive artifacts were documented, considering their anatomical location and the amount of metal embedded as orientation criteria regarding the focus of the explosion. The diagnosis included the bio- anthropological profile of each dead person.