Abstract
Due to the growing excitement and popularization of crime television shows, forensic scientists face the difficult task of analyzing copycat crime scenes, such as those portrayed on CSI or Breaking Bad. In particular, the disposal of human remains using common household acids and mimicked by real criminals, has led previous researchers to examine the effects of different acids on incomplete human remains. In general, previous studies have found that Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is the most destructive agent when in contact with human remains including fragments of femora and teeth. The present study expands on previous research by demonstrating the effect that HCl has on human remains in a controlled laboratory setting. Based on previous research with incomplete remains and our experiences working on forensic cases, we hypothesized that the HCl would not preferentially destroy some body parts over others (i.e., head and extremities over torso) and that the addition of estuarine water to HCl would not affect the rate of dissolution. We tested these hypotheses with three experiments: the first involved an intact, donated human cadaver; the second used an intact pig carcass of similar size as the human; and the third encompassed the changes to eight donated human fingers. Results of the experiments revealed that the submersion in HCl severely compromised the integrity of the human and pig skulls in just thirteen hours after initial submersion. In addition, the head and extremities had nearly completely dissolved in seventy hours (human) and approximately eighty-seven hours (pig). The fingers in the third experiment took a total of five months to completely dissolve. Contrary to the hypotheses of the researchers, our results indicated that the HCl could preferentially destruct certain body segments over others and that pig remains do follow a similar pattern of dissolution as that of human remains. These results provide a significant contribution to the current literature and offer an additional example of the taphonomic changes to expect and what lines of evidence persist in a container that could have held human remains in an acidic solution. Additionally, we hope this research assists legislators in implementing policy change that would make these materials more difficult for criminals to access, therefore decreasing the potential for copycat crimes of this nature.