TY - JOUR

T1 - Detection of scopolamine in urine and hair in a drug-facilitated sexual assault

AU - Melchior, Simon Emil

AU - Nielsen, Marie Katrine Klose

AU - Oropeza, Athamaica Ruiz

AU - Banner, Jytte

AU - Johansen, Sys Stybe

N1 - Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The use of the drug scopolamine in drug-facilitated crimes is known. Nevertheless, given the high potency of the drug and its rapid metabolism, analysis in blood and urine may not be sufficient for drug detection in late crime declaration, especially following a single-dose administration in drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases. Hair may constitute an essential supplemental matrix extending the drug detection window in such cases. This case report presents quantitative data on scopolamine findings in urine and hair in a DFSA case. A young female had consumed several alcoholic drinks at a party venue when her behaviour became noticeably peculiar. Later, she woke up next to an unknown man and had no recollection of the night's events. Blood and urine samples were collected 18 h after the incident. The initial toxicological target screening using UHPLC–TOF-MS detected scopolamine in the hydrolysed urine sample, and quantification yielded 41 µg/L scopolamine in urine, while blood was negative. Segmental hair analysis using multitarget UHPLC–MS/MS was performed on three washed 2-cm segments of hair collected five weeks after the incident, yielding 0.37 pg/mg scopolamine only in the relevant hair segment. This case report provides novel insight into the concentration in hair following a single exposure of scopolamine and the feasibility of detecting scopolamine in hair by comparison to published toxicological findings.

AB - The use of the drug scopolamine in drug-facilitated crimes is known. Nevertheless, given the high potency of the drug and its rapid metabolism, analysis in blood and urine may not be sufficient for drug detection in late crime declaration, especially following a single-dose administration in drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) cases. Hair may constitute an essential supplemental matrix extending the drug detection window in such cases. This case report presents quantitative data on scopolamine findings in urine and hair in a DFSA case. A young female had consumed several alcoholic drinks at a party venue when her behaviour became noticeably peculiar. Later, she woke up next to an unknown man and had no recollection of the night's events. Blood and urine samples were collected 18 h after the incident. The initial toxicological target screening using UHPLC–TOF-MS detected scopolamine in the hydrolysed urine sample, and quantification yielded 41 µg/L scopolamine in urine, while blood was negative. Segmental hair analysis using multitarget UHPLC–MS/MS was performed on three washed 2-cm segments of hair collected five weeks after the incident, yielding 0.37 pg/mg scopolamine only in the relevant hair segment. This case report provides novel insight into the concentration in hair following a single exposure of scopolamine and the feasibility of detecting scopolamine in hair by comparison to published toxicological findings.

KW - Drug-facilitated crime

KW - Forensic investigation

KW - Segmental hair analysis

KW - Single drug dose

KW - Tropane alkaloids case

U2 - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111678

DO - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111678

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37030199

VL - 347

JO - Forensic Science International

JF - Forensic Science International

SN - 0379-0738

M1 - 111678

ER -