Carrying out toxicological investigations in biological samples (e.g., hair) collected from extensively decomposed bodies and interpretation of subsequently obtained results is challenging, even more in some particular circumstances of death. In order to illustrate these pitfalls, we report the case of the exhumation of a methamphetamine (MA) body packer. Autopsy examination of a 41-year-old man, 1 year after his burial, revealed the presence of 44 green pellets (7 out of 44 were torn) along all the gastrointestinal tracts. A 6 cm long dark hair strand and pellets were sampled for toxicological analyses. Large toxicological screenings were applied to hair and pellets using both LC–MS-MS and LC-HRMS. Intact pellets contained around 10 g of MA with a purity ranging from 29 to 35%. Positive hair results were amiodarone (4.12 ng/mg), desethylamiodarone (5.29 ng/mg) and MA (7.63 ng/mg). MA pellets in gastrointestinal tract were consistent with the autopsy conclusion, i.e., fatal intoxication due to in corpore pellet rupture in a body packer (the victim was initially deemed to have died from heart failure). In the absence of available data in the literature, amiodarone and metabolite presence in hair could putatively be the consequence of a chronic treatment. MA hair concentration was similar to those observed in regular consumers. However, interpreting this hair result is challenging due to (i) the possibility of contamination by sweat at the time of death, and (ii) the probable contamination by putrefaction fluids. This latter hypothesis (artifactual contamination during the post-mortem period) is highly supported by high concentration of MA in decontamination bath, and even more by the absence of the major MA metabolite (amphetamine) in hair. As a conclusion, in this particular situation, the hair analysis result (presence of MA and concomitant absence of amphetamine) is in agreement with the previously established cause of death.

中文翻译：

---

甲基苯丙胺裹尸布的挖掘：头发结果解释的陷阱

对从广泛腐烂的尸体收集的生物样品（例如头发）进行毒理学研究并解释随后获得的结果具有挑战性，在某些特定的死亡情况下更是如此。为了说明这些陷阱，我们报告了一个甲基苯丙胺 (MA) 尸体封隔器的挖掘案例。一名 41 岁男子在下葬 1 年后进行尸检，发现其所有胃肠道存在 44 个绿色颗粒（44 个中有 7 个被撕裂）。对 6 厘米长的深色发丝和颗粒进行采样以进行毒理学分析。使用 LC-MS-MS 和 LC-HRMS 对头发和颗粒进行大型毒理学筛查。完整的颗粒含有大约 10 克 MA，纯度在 29% 到 35% 之间。阳性头发结果是胺碘酮（4.12 ng/mg），去乙基胺碘酮 (5.29 ng/mg) 和 MA (7.63 ng/mg)。胃肠道中的MA颗粒与尸检结论一致，即由于尸体包装机中的实体颗粒破裂导致致命中毒（受害者最初被认为死于心力衰竭）。在文献中缺乏可用数据的情况下，头发中胺碘酮和代谢物的存在可能是长期治疗的结果。MA 头发浓度与在普通消费者中观察到的相似。然而，解释这种头发结果具有挑战性，因为 (i) 死亡时汗液污染的可能性，以及 (ii) 腐败液可能造成的污染。后一种假设（验尸期间的人工污染）得到了去污浴中高浓度 MA 的高度支持，甚至更多的是头发中没有主要的 MA 代谢物（安非他明）。作为结论，在这种特殊情况下，头发分析结果（存在 MA 且同时不存在苯丙胺）与先前确定的死因一致。