Forensic veterinary examination of animal bodies injured by glass fragments

Pre-trial investigation of offences against animal health and life is impossible without the use of specialised knowledge by law enforcement agencies or the court, specifically veterinary and technical knowledge, the perfect form of which is a comprehensive forensic veterinary examination with the study of the instruments of injury: materials, substances, and products. In such cases, the subject of the forensic examination raises questions for the forensic experts to resolve regarding the nature, location, severity, and type of instrument that could have caused a certain injury to the animal’s body. Considering the above, the purpose of the present study was to substantiate and develop an algorithm for forensic detection and identification of glass fragments removed from the bodies of injured animals. The study employed a set of modern research methods, including radiographic, ultrasonographic, visual, microscopic, physicochemical, X-ray fluorescence, and statistical analysis, which revealed new data on the informativeness of radiography, and ultrasonography as non-invasive methods of detecting foreign objects in the bodies of dead dogs, as well as the possibility of identifying the entire instrument of injury by individual fragments (glass fragments). Thanks to the findings obtained using an integrated approach to detect and identify foreign objects removed from the bodies of injured animals during forensic veterinary examinations, a series of significant issues were resolved: their presence in the body of animals, their attribution to inorganic silicate glass with a detailed description of its chemical composition, and identification of the instrument of injury by its individual parts were confirmed. This study will positively influence the efficiency and effectiveness of forensic examination of animals affected by severe injuries caused by foreign objects removed from their bodies. At the same time, this comprehensive approach allows increasing the degree of validity and objectivity of the expert’s opinion as a means of proof in categorical proceedings and expands the evidentiary capabilities of pre-trial investigation bodies and the court