The Histological Analysis of Porcine Ribs Encased in Different Types of Concrete

From 1978-2023, at least 112 individuals have been deposited in concrete around the world. Despite the use of concrete to conceal the dead, or parts thereof, in criminal cases, there is currently a lack of understanding around decomposition, and postmortem interval (PMI), of human remains deposited in this material. The aim of this research is to gain an understanding of the histological changes to bone deposited in three types of concrete (general purpose, sulphate, and high strength) in cooler (winter) and warmer (summer) climates. In this study, sus scrofa rib bones and adhering soft tissue was used as a proxy. Bone samples were removed from the concrete at three, six, sixteen, and twenty-six weeks intervals. Thin sections of bone were subsequently cut using a microtome. The Oxford Histology Index (OHI) was employed to score resultant micrographs. Results from the cooler and warmer months suggest that, by the twenty-sixth week, high strength concrete was a better preservative concrete compared to bone encased in general purpose and sulphate concretes. Analogous findings for warmer months were similar to those obtained for cooler months by the twenty-sixth week in sulphate and high strength concrete, with the exception of general purpose concrete, which exhibited greater decomposition in warmer month counterpart. This study ultimately sheds light on the decomposition process of bone encased in concrete for extended periods of time and has the potential to aid criminal investigations in the future.