Journal de médecine légale

Flunitrazepam Product Detected in the Stomach of an Autopsy Case Buried Under the Ground for Two Years

Abstract

Toshiko Tanaka, Hiroaki Sato and Kentaro Kasai

Flunitrazepam (FNZ) is a short-intermediate acting benzodiazepine derivative, and easily reduced to 7-amino FNZ. We autopsied the buried cadaver of homicide victim two years after the strangulation following ingestion of FNZ. The whole body of the cadaver had become moderately decomposed and adipocere without any obvious dehiscence. There was a fracture of the lamina thyroid cartilage. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was performed on bone marrow sample and the stomach contents. Only 7-amino FNZ could be detected in the stomach contents. The detection of 7-amino FNZ brought important information about the ante-mortem circumstances. To our knowledge, such detection of FNZ product in a cadaver after a long period of time has not been reported previously.