title: Analysis of the procedures used to evaluate suicide crime scenes in Brazil: a statistical approach to interpret reports.
abstract: This study uses statistical techniques to evaluate reports on suicide scenes; it utilizes 80 reports from different locations in Brazil, randomly collected from both federal and state jurisdictions. We aimed to assess a heterogeneous group of cases in order to obtain an overall perspective of the problem. We evaluated variables regarding the characteristics of the crime scene, such as the detected traces (blood, instruments and clothes) that were found and we addressed the methodology employed by the experts. A qualitative approach using basic statistics revealed a wide distribution as to how the issue was addressed in the documents. We examined a quantitative approach involving an empirical equation and we used multivariate procedures to validate the quantitative methodology proposed for this empirical equation. The methodology successfully identified the main differences in the information presented in the reports, showing that there is no standardized method of analyzing evidences.
authors: Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Brazil. Electronic address: aline.bruni@usp.br.
authors: Aline Thaís
authors: AT
authors: Bruni
authors: Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Brazil.
authors: Jesus Antonio
authors: JA
authors: Velho
authors: Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Brazil.
authors: Arthur Serra Lopes
authors: AS
authors: Ferreira
authors: Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Brazil.
authors: Maria Júlia
authors: MJ
authors: Tasso
authors: Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Brazil.
authors: Raíssa Santos
authors: RS
authors: Ferrari
authors: Departamento de Análises Clínicas, Toxicológicas e Bromatológicas, FCFRP, USP, Brazil.
authors: Ricardo Luís
authors: RL
authors: Yoshida
authors: Superintendência de Polícia Técnico Científica 18° DPC - 4ª DRPC, Seção Técnica Regional de Criminalística, São Sebastião do Paraíso, MG, Brazil.
authors: Marcos Salvador
authors: MS
authors: Dias
authors: Departamento de Física, IBILCE, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors: Vitor Barbanti Pereira
authors: VB
authors: Leite
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D015233:Models, Statistical; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D058028:Research Report; D013405:Suicide
keywords: Crime scene; Expertise procedures; Multivariate analysis; Suicide