Estimation of the post-mortem interval in human bones by infrared spectroscopy

In forensic anthropology, there is an inherent difficulty in estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI). This study aimed to assess whether there is a correlation between changes in the bone mineral component and the PMI estimation. Samples of femur and humerus from 80 identified individuals with known post-mortem interval were analyzed. Infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance mode (FTIR-ATR) was applied for this analysis, several indices having been obtained from the infrared bands most representative of the bone’s relative contents in carbonate and phosphate. Specific relationships between sex/age and PMI were attained: for larger PMIs, there was an increase in the amount of B-type carbonate (BPI), A-type carbonates (API), and in the carbonate/phosphate (C/P) ratio, and a decrease of the crystallinity index (CI) and in the carbonate ratio (C/C). Two particular infrared indices (CI and C/C) were identified as the most suitable for post-mortem interval estimation, especially in females, controlling the effects of sex and age (in the statistical analysis).