Sri Adelila Sari, Yeni Rossito Hutasuhut
Recent cases of unnatural deaths, including murders, poisonings, suicides, and drug overdoses, highlight the urgent need for advanced forensic techniques. This study focused on specific cases of deaths due to propoxur poisoning, a type of insecticide. This study deals with forensic insect toxicology and specifically focuses on the analysis of propoxur content in maggot samples. Selected rotten beef as a growth medium is observed daily to monitor maggot growth. The maggots are then collected and carefully subjected to liquid-liquid extraction. The resulting extract is analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Specifically, the data show the presence of propoxur in the 250 ppm standard solution at 11 minutes and the presence of propoxur in the 100 ppm standard solution at 4 minutes. Interestingly, these samples escaped detection by GC-MS because the toxin concentration was limited to 50%. This result highlights the urgent need to improve analytical methods. In future studies, concentrations above 50% is recommended to be used, which are more convenient for analysts, to increase the accuracy of sample preparation. Additionally, studies should investigate different post-mortem sampling periods and use shorter sampling times to comprehensively understand propoxur distribution. © 2025 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.
Medan State University, Sumatera Utara, Medan, 20221, Indonesia
