[Exhumations procedures for investigating the genetic link in bones]. / Procedimentos em exumações para investigação de vínculo genético em ossos.

OBJECTIVE: To identify technical problems in exhumations performed for DNA detection in bones and to propose solutions through a protocol. METHODS: A prospective and qualitative study of exhumations was carried out according to the methods proposed in the medical legal literature. From 1995 to 1998, were performed 10 exhumations to collect human remains for DNA extraction. Of them, seven cases were of civil interest and three of criminal. Alternatives were sought to overcome technical difficulties found during the execution of these procedures. RESULTS: For all cases, there was scarcity of useful information to identify the human remains. In half of them, identification was based on the individual's morphological characteristics, given by their relatives. Individual morphological characteristics contributed to identification in 50% of cases. In three cases, it was possible to determine only the sex, and in one of them, only the age. Lack of infrastructure and police security in the cemeteries impaired the examination. CONCLUSIONS: To assure the reliability of the DNA molecular examination, it is necessary to identify the individual to whom the exhumed mortal remains belonged. To an efficacious investigation, it is paramount to have a working protocol that will cover, among other issues, those concerning identification, infrastructure and staff safety at the site of examination.

Assessment of methods of homicides in a Brazilian city: a preliminary study.

Homicides in the city of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed with regard to methods (firearms or others) and gender, in a retrospective study from 1993 to 1997. There was a progressive increase in the number of homicides, mainly after 1995, with an increment of 86.6% in 1997 in comparison to 1993. The incidence of homicides was higher among males, with firearms being the most common method in this group since 1993. In addition, a 10% increase in this method was observed since 1995, in association with a proportional reduction in the use of other methods. The incidence of homicides among females remained stable until 1996 and increased by 51.3% in 1997. Simultaneously, firearms have become the most common method among female victims (71.4%), pattern similar to that observed among males. Attention is drawn to the social and economic conditions and their relationships with drug traffic in the city.