Diatomological mapping of water bodies for the diagnosis of drowning cases

Abstract 

Forensic diatomology plays an important role in solving mysteries of drowning cases. The diatomology contributes significantly not only in determining the mode of death but also in determining the site of drowning. Presence of sufficient number of diatoms in vital distant body organs can establish ante-mortem drowning up to a certain extent. Question about the exact site of drowning is mostly raised particularly when circumstantial evidences are not clear about the drowning site or drowning site itself is not there. Distribution of diatoms in any water body, and their correlation with the diatom species recovered from the drowned body can be a method of choice to resolve the questions related to drowning site. Analysis was undertaken in order to record the significant variation in diatom diversity in the 10 (selected) different types of water bodies in Punjab (India) during different seasons (summer, autumn, winter and spring). This comparative study was conducted for two years. The data so obtained has been utilized to generate Diatomological Maps, which can be helpful in diagnosing the suspected drowning cases occurring in a particular area and characterization of different water bodies.

Keywords: Diatoms, Drowning, Diatomological maps, Drowning site and water body