When a death apparently associated to sexual assault is instead a natural death due to idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome: the importance of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid analysis in vitreous humor

We here report a case involving a 21-year-old female, found dead in a central square of a city in the south of Italy. Initial evidences and circumstances were suggestive of a death associated with a sexual assault. Two peripheral blood and two vitreous humor samples were collected for the purpose of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) testing from the dead body at two different post-mortem intervals (PMIs): approximately 2 (t0) and 36 (t1) hours. The obtained results showed that, between t0 and t1, there was an increase of GHB concentrations in peripheral blood and vitreous humor of 66.3% and 8.1%, respectively.
Source: Legal Medicine - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Tags: Case Report Source Type: research