FORENSIC ANALYSIS OF 100 MEDICOLEGAL AUTOPSY CASES: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Autopsy remains one of the most reliable tools in forensic death investigation, since it allows a systematic look at both the external and internal findings that together point toward cause and manner of death. Beyond individual cases, reviewing autopsy records over time also gives useful insight into demographic patterns, the types of injuries commonly seen, and how medicolegal deaths trend within a population. Objective: This study looked at the demographic profile of medicolegal autopsy cases along with the causes and manners of death, the pattern and anatomical location of injuries, and how often victims presented with a single injury versus multiple injuries. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology and the Medico-Legal Section of Liaquat University Hospital (LUH), Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Existing autopsy records were reviewed and 100 cases that met the inclusion criteria were selected for the study. Records that were blurred, illegible, or incomplete in terms of the information needed for analysis were left out. Data from the selected records were entered into a structured proforma prepared for the study and were then analyzed using basic frequencies and percentages. Results: Out of the 100 cases studied, 77 were male and 23 were female. Most victims fell in the 21–30-year age bracket, making up 31% of the total. Firearm injury was the leading cause of death, seen in 28% of cases, followed by blunt-force trauma (24%) and road traffic accidents (22%). When it came to manner of death, homicide accounted for the largest share at 38%, with accidental deaths making up 28% and manner remaining undetermined in 25% of cases. Among the different injury patterns recorded, lacerations were the most common finding (45%), followed by abrasions (37%) and firearm wounds (31%). Looking at where injuries were located on the body, cases involving multiple regions were most frequent (58%), while upper-limb injuries (42%) and chest injuries (40%) were also commonly noted. Most cases 87% had more than one injury, and only 13% showed a single isolated injury. Conclusion: Overall, the study points to young adult males as the group most commonly affected, with a considerable share of deaths resulting from violent or traumatic causes firearm injuries, blunt trauma, and road traffic accidents in particular. Homicide came out as the most common manner of death among the cases reviewed. These results reinforce why careful, systematic autopsy work and accurate record-keeping matter, both for individual medicolegal investigations and for building local data that future studies and forensic practice can rely on.