Identificação de vítimas carbonizadas em acidentes automobilísticos: desafios forenses e implicações para a gestão pública em Minas Gerais (2022–2024)

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the challenges involved in identifying charred victims of automobile accidents in the state of Minas Gerais, focusing on data from the Belo Horizonte Forensic Medical Institute between 2022 and 2024. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, predominantly qualitative, and was based on the systematization of forensic reports, spreadsheets, and technical documents from the Forensic Anthropology Service. . In the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Forensic Anthropology Service of the Dr. André Roquette Institute of Legal Medicine in Belo Horizonte received 112, 92, and 129 bodies, respectively. The proportion of charred bodies was 45.5% (51 cases) in 2022; 59.8% in 2023 (55 cases); and 63.6% (82 cases) in 2024. In 2022, 36 males, 14 females, and 1 unidentified individual were identified. The following year, 36 male victims, 12 female victims, and 7 unidentified cases were identified. In 2024, 46 men, 28 women, and 8 unidentified bodies were identified. In 2022, of the 51 charred victims, 13 were identified through odontology, 11 through fingerprinting, 23 through DNA, 3 through anthropology, and 1 was buried unidentified. In 2024, the numbers increased proportionally, with 21 identifications through odontology, 6 through fingerprinting, 43 cases solved through genetic analysis, 4 through anthropology, and 8 buried unidentified. Forensic odontology was responsible for 13, 13, and 21 identifications in the years 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively, corresponding to 25.5%, 23.6%, and 25.6% of the identities established for charred victims. The results reveal a significant increase in cases involving carbonized bodies, which limits the effectiveness of traditional identification methods, such as fingerprinting, and increases reliance on more complex tools like DNA analysis. The study also highlights the social and institutional impacts of non-identification, reinforcing the importance of public policies aimed at strengthening forensic infrastructures and guaranteeing the right to postmortem identity. It concludes that improvements in forensic resources, data integration, and technical training are urgent measures to address this issue in public health and social justice.