Case report
Multidisciplinary approach to fatal dog attacks: A forensic case study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2013.04.015Get rights and content

Abstract

Dog-bite-related injuries and fatalities are increasing in incidence and represent an important public health concern, as dogs are more and more becoming an integral part of human social life.

We report the case of a 27-year-old woman who was found dead in her home. Her body was discovered lying face down in a large pool of partially desiccated blood with signs of having been dragged. Site examination revealed the presence of severe injuries on the face, neck and head, which were then traced back to the dog she owned. Death was attributed to exsanguinations due to a neck blood vessel's laceration with fracture of the fifth cervical vertebra. This was uncommon because the dog bites injured the vertebral artery only without any lacerations of the carotid artery.

Confirming that the injuries are dog-bite related was based on a multidisciplinary approach including histological findings, odontological examination of bite marks and DNA analysis.

Introduction

Dogs are social animals known to have an inherent pack instinct. They can become excited and aggressive and therefore attacks may occur. Many cases of dog attacks have been reported and sometimes the severity of the wounds can lead to death.1 In the literature, dog-bite frequencies have been estimated at between 9 and 18 per 1000 subjects.2

Many epidemiological studies indicate that the majority of dog-pack attacks are among children or elderly women3 and this can be considered as a worldwide problem.4

Most cases of death involving the presence of domestic-animal bite marks are actually non-violent in nature; these marks are often mistaken for signs of criminal assault,5 which highlights the importance of an accurate post-mortem examination to clarify whether such an injury occurred before or after the time of death and its imputability to the presence of animals at the death scene.

Forensic approaches to fatal dog attacks have been published.5, 6 The investigations usually involve the examination of bite marks and tooth prints. Then the detection of the offending dog can be made by comparisons of the dental casts of the dog with the victim's wounds. It is also possible to obtain a canine-specific short tandem repeat (STR) profile from the dog's saliva left on the wound area,7, 8 which may provide a link between the victim and the suspected animal.

In the following reported case, we tend, by a multidisciplinary approach, to assess the cause of death and the aetiology of the injuries observed on the corpse.

Section snippets

Investigation of the death scene

A 27-year-old woman was found dead in her home. The body was discovered near the front door of the home, lying in a large pool of partially dried blood with signs that the body had been dragged. Her clothes were intact except for a scarf around the neck presenting multiple tears compatible with the following-cited injuries found on the neck. Initial findings indicated that the victim had died <6 h before the discovery of her body.

The victim had a history of epilepsy and the dog (Fig. 1) was

Discussion

Dog-bite-related injuries and fatalities are a major health problem worldwide. The dog-bite death rates in Australia and the US range between 0.004 and 0.07 per 100,000 inhabitants.2 The highest mortality rate is registered for children and elderly people because they are generally weak and defenceless.9

Generally, and as found in the reported case, most frequent sites of injury are the head, face and neck.6

Lesions usually involve a combination of biting, clawing and crushing forces resulting in

Conclusion

The presence of animals at the death scene may pose questions to forensic investigators. In fact, the injuries found on the corpse of the deceased can be mistaken for signs of criminal assault. Confirming that the injuries found are related to an animal bite suggests a multidisciplinary approach including a detailed assessment of the scene, the victim and the animals involved. The most useful methods are the odontological examination of bite marks and DNA analysis.

Ethical approval

None.

Funding

None.

Conflict of interest

None.

References (23)

  • K. De Munnynck et al.

    Forensic approach of fatal dog attacks: a case report and literature review

    Int J Leg Med

    (2002)
  • Cited by (16)

    • Bitten or struck by dog: A rising number of fatalities in Europe, 1995–2016

      2021, Forensic Science International
      Citation Excerpt :

      Several case studies imply that persons with disabilities or with diagnoses that leads to involuntary or unpredictable movements may trigger dogs to attack, including Huntington disease [41], ADHD [42], epilepsy [43] or advanced Alzheimer pathology [44]. The absence of self -defense injuries suggest that the victims were either unconscious during the attacks or incapable of protecting themselves [43]. In a Spanish study, drug addiction and homelessness were observed as factors making humans more vulnerable to fatal dog attacks [18].

    • Dog-bite-related attacks: A new forensic approach

      2020, Forensic Science International
      Citation Excerpt :

      Dog attacks today represent a health hazard considering that prevention strategies have not always been successful [1,2].

    • A case of Jack Russel Terrier scavenging: Images and three dimensional models for forensic interpretation

      2019, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
      Citation Excerpt :

      Scavenging can affect areas with external signs that could be relevant for the forensic interpretation of the case (missed diagnoses) or wrongly suggest a violent cause of death (misdiagnoses).1 Outdoor scavenging mainly involves extremities, as dogs tend to want to bring the victim down by biting the legs and/or arms as defensive wounds.2,9 However, indoor mutilations primarily involve the facial area (73.1%)2 including the nose, mouth, and neck (43.1%)2; secondarily, they involve the torso, limbs, and genitalia.1–3,7,10,11

    • Animal Attacks and Injuries: Fatal

      2015, Encyclopedia of Forensic and Legal Medicine: Second Edition
    • A multidisciplinary approach to fatal dog attacks

      2014, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text