The diagnosis of a murder from skeletal remains: a case report

A skeletonised body was found in a Danish forest. The examination of the bones revealed several incisions on the skeleton, one located on the cervical column, two on the sternum, one perforating incision to the right iliac crest, and several superficial ones to the ribs and the right tibia. The skeletonized body was thought to be that of a young man in the twenties with a height of 170 cm. It was estimated that the body had been lying at the spot for at least 1 or 2 y and had been murdered by several stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. Police enquiries subsequently revealed that the deceased was a 23-year-old male with a height of 171 cm. A man confessed to having murdered the victim 11/2 years earlier with several stab wounds to the face/neck, chest, abdominal wall and thigh.