Exhumation in clandestine graves has to be done very carefully, since it is considered as a crime scene. Most such cases are related to a suspicious death and it is very important to search for human remains carefully. Before excavation, all operational procedures have to be planned in advance. Missing evidence or human errors can be avoided if each investigative team member works together with archaeological assistance and forensic pathologists. But in practice, it may be difficult to work according to established standard operational procedures because, in many cases, the clandestinely buried victims appear in unexpected areas or it is hard to locate the exact location of the site. Therefore, we present the following cases and hope that the general principles for exhuming a clandestine grave will be established so that they can be helpful in similar investigations in the future.
Crime ; Exhumation ; Humans

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship among several indices of circadian rhythms and lipid peroxidation of brain tissue in mice. Methods: After entrainment of 4-week-old mice, one group was disrupted their circadian rhythms for three days and the other group for seven days (n = 10, respectively). After a recovery period, the Y-maze test, the elevated plus maze test, the tail suspension test, and the forced swimming test were conducted. To assess lipid peroxidation in brain tissue, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were measured in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Results: When circadian rhythms were disrupted and adapted back to their original rhythm, the recovery time of the 7-day disruption group (median 3.35 days) was significiantly faster than one of the 3-day disruption group (median 4.87 days). In the group with a 7-day disruption, mice that had recovered their rhythms early had higher malondialdehyde levels in their hippocampus compared to those with delayed recovery. The entrainment of circadian rhythms was negatively correlated with the malondialdehyde level of brain tissue. The behavioral test results showed no differences depending on the disruption durations or recovery patterns of circadian rhythms. Conclusion These results suggest that disruption types, recovery patterns, and the entrainment of circadian rhythms are likely to affect oxidative stress in adolescents or young adult mice. Future study is needed to confirm and specify these results on the effects of circadian rhythms on oxidative stress and age-dependent effects.