Carlos A. Gutierrez, is Ph.D. Student. He has his Master of Science in Forensic Sciences  in Chaminade University of Honolulu, USA and his Master in Educational Management in Chile. He is retired Capitan of the Chilean National Police after 18 years of service. He is Lecturer of Forensic Sciences of Chaminade University of Honolulu, and Co-founder of True Forensic Science. He is expert in Crime Scene Investigation and developed the Forensic Microanthropology. He worked in more than 6,000 forensic cases in his career.

This study is focused on reviewing and developing standards and guidelines in Forensic Microanthropology related to identification and microscopic differentiation between human and non-human bones. This study developed a  protocol, which describes the basic tools and equipment necessary to achieve this type of analysis. Also describes the preparation process of the evidence to be analyzed under the microscope, as well as the microscopic identification methods (e.g. qualitative and quantitative approaches). This study was developed in Chaminade University of Honolulu, USA. To validate this study, the samples were analyzed one more time in the Laboratories of The Department of Defense of the United States POW/MIA Accounting Agency’s DPPA-CIL Hawai’i, USA. The original goal for this study was to show the importance of Forensic Microanthropology for the understanding of microscopic differences between human and non-human bones. Forensic Microanthropology is a new forensic science field, easy to learn and inexpensive, which can be of use in human identification processes in every forensic laboratory around the world. Since 2017, students of Forensic Science at Chaminade University of Honolulu have been learning Forensic Microanthropology and they have shown 100% positive identification and differentiation of human and nonhuman bone after their training.

In the world vast majority of cases of deaths due to electrocution are accidental. Suicidal electrocution and that too by high voltage is one of the rarest methods adopted for the purpose. We report the case of a 36-year-old male who committed suicide by climbing up a 10-meter-tall electric tower carrying live cables of high voltage of 40,000 volts. He was found lying dead on the ground with multiple burns all over the body, and with multiple blunt injuries. Examination and Autopsy revealed multiple burns with charred, thickened skin, singed hairs and underneath coagulation of tissues and muscles over various areas of the body. Underlying adipose tissue was melt and oily liquid was seen. Signs of trauma as multiple lacerated wounds and fractures of skull, face, ribs and right upper limb were seen but they did not contribute to the cause of death. Histopathology from skin tissues over multiple burnt sites confirmed the loss of epidermis, with collagen in epidermal and subepithilial layers with elongation of nuclei “stream of nuclei”. Features were consistent with changes induced by electrical burns. These atypical findings on the body can be explained by the proximity to electric arc produced by  high voltage current and the electromagnetic field generated by it. Police investigations showed that the deceased was under severe depression because of his personal problems. The method adopted and the findings make this case a rare scientific report.