Skip to main content
Log in

Hair analysis of drugs involved in drug-facilitated sexual assault and detection of zolpidem in a suspected case

  • Case Report
  • Published:
International Journal of Legal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In drug-facilitated crimes, victims are subjected to nonconsensual acts while they are incapacitated by the effects of a drug. A specific LC-MS/MS protocol for determining benzodiazepines and hypnotics at low concentration in hair specimens was developed and validated in order to target the allegedly administered drugs on a chronological basis. In the case hereby reported, a 26-year-old woman claimed to have been sexually assaulted after being administered an allegedly drugged coffee, but toxicological analysis of urine and blood provided no evidence of any drug intake. Subsequently, a second woman accused the same man of sexual abuse. Hence, the suspect was prosecuted. Specimens were collected from four subjects (two alleged victims, the suspect and his wife) and segmental hair analysis was performed. The results revealed that zolpidem was present at low picogram per milligram concentration in three out of eleven segments of hair specimen obtained from the first of the alleged victims, offering plain evidence of single or sporadic exposure, whereas the agent was detected in the high picogram per milligram range in the hair collected from suspect’s wife, coherently with therapeutic administration. The presence of interfering signals typical of the keratin-containing matrix was found and possible hair degradation by cosmetic treatments was investigated by electron microscopy, so as to obtain a judicious interpretation of the analytical findings.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kintz P (2007) Bioanalytical procedures for detection of chemical agents in hair in the case of drug-facilitated crimes. Anal Bioanal Chem 388:1467–1474

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Negrusz A, Gaensslen RE (2003) Analytical developments in toxicological investigation of drug-facilitated sexual assault. Anal Bioanal Chem 376:1192–1197

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. LeBeau MA, Montgomery MA (2010) Challenges of drug-facilitated sexual assault. Forensic Sci Rev 22(1):1–6

    Google Scholar 

  4. LeBeau MA, Mozayani A (2001) Collection of evidence from DFSA. In: LeBeau MA, Mozayani A (eds) Drug-facilitated sexual assault: a forensic handbook. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 197–209

    Google Scholar 

  5. Negrusz A, Moore CM, Kern JL, Janicak PG, Strong MJ, Levy NA (2000) Quantitation of clonazepam and its major metabolite 7-aminoclonazepam in hair. J Anal Toxicol 24:614–620

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Villain M, Chèze M, Tracqui A, Ludes B, Kintz P (2004) Windows of detection of zolpidem in urine and hair: application to two drug facilitated sexual assaults. Forensic Sci Int 143:157–161

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Negrusz A, Moore CM, Hinkel KB, Stockham TL, Verma M, Strong MJ, Janicak PG (2001) Deposition of 7-aminoflunitrazepam and flunitrazepam in hair after a single dose of Rohypnol. J Forensic Sci 46:1143–1151

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Pecoraro V, Astore IPL (1990) Measurement of hair growth under physiological conditions. In: Orphanos CE, Happle R (eds) Hair and hair disease. Springer, Berlin, p 237

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  9. Villain M, Concheiro M, Cirimele V, Kintz P (2005) Screening method for benzodiazepines and hypnotics in hair at pg/mg level by LC-MS/MS. J Chromatogr B 825:72–78

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Kintz P, Villain M, Dumestre-Toulet V, Ludes B (2005) Drug-facilitated sexual assault and analytical toxicology: the role of LC-MS/MS. A case involving zolpidem. J Clin Forensic Med 12:36–41

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Chèze M, Duffort G, Deveaux M, Pèpin G (2005) Hair analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in toxicological investigation of drug-facilitated crimes: report of 128 cases over the period June 2003-May 2004 in metropolitan Paris. Forensic Sci Int 153:3–10

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Kintz P, Villain M, Concheiro M, Cirimele V (2005) Screening and confirmatory method for benzodiazepines and hypnotics in oral fluid by LC-MS/MS. Forensic Sci Int 150:213–220

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. SOFT, AAFS. Forensic toxicology laboratory guidelines. SOFT and AAFS. 1.11.2006

  14. Peters FT, Drummer OH, Musshoff F (2007) Validation of new methods. Forensic Sci Int 165:216–224

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Robbins CR (2002) Chemical and physical behavior of human hair, 4th edn. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  16. Pragst F, Balikova MA (2006) State of the art in hair analysis for detection of drug and alcohol abuse. Clin Chim Acta 370:17–49

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Duthel JM, Constant H, Vallon JJ, Rochet T, Miachon S (1992) Quantification by gas-chromatography with selected-ion monitoring mass spectrometry of “natural” diazepam. J Chromatogr 579:85–91

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Wildmann J, Möhler H, Vetter W, Ranalder U, Schmidt K, Maurer R (1987) Diazepam and N-desmethyldiazepam are found in rat brain and adrenal and may be of plant origin. J Neural Transm 70:383–398

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Unseld E, Klotz U (1989) Benzodiazepines: are they of natural origin? Pharm Res 6:1–3

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Schwartz MA, Koechlin BA, Postma E, Palmer S, Krol G (1965) Metabolism of diazepam in rat, dog and man. J Pharm Exp Ther 149:423–435

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Kaplan SA, Jack ML, Alexander K, Weinfeld RE (1973) Pharmacokinetic profile of diazepam in man following single intravenous and oral and chronic oral administration. J Pharm Sci 62:1789–1796

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Tada K, Moroji T, Sekiguchi R, Motomoura H, Noguchi T (1985) Liquid chromatography assay of diazepam and its major metabolite in serum, and application to pharmacokinetic study of high doses of diazepam in schizophrenics. Clin Chem 31:1712–1715

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Laloup M, Ramirez Fernandez MDM, Wood M, Maes V, De Boeck G, Vanbeckevoort Y, Samyn N (2007) Detection of diazepam in urine, hair and preserved oral fluid samples with LC-MS-MS after single and repeated administration of Myolastan® and Valium®. Anal Bioanal Chem 388:1545–1556

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Stockham T, Rohrig TP (2010) The use of Z-drugs to facilitate sexual assault. Forensic Sci Rev 22:61–72

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We gratefully thank Dr. Marina Caligara for the precious cooperation during all the steps of the investigation and Ms. Tonia Lombardo for preparing the samples. The generous financial contribution for renovating the analytical instrumentation from the Compagnia di San Paolo (Turin, Italy) is gratefully acknowledged (Grant 411/PV-2009.1993). We are also indebted to the Regione Piemonte for its continuous financial support of our toxicology laboratory.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alberto Salomone.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Salomone, A., Gerace, E., Di Corcia, D. et al. Hair analysis of drugs involved in drug-facilitated sexual assault and detection of zolpidem in a suspected case. Int J Legal Med 126, 451–459 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-011-0597-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-011-0597-y

Keywords

Navigation