P016. Child sexual homicide in Chile: characteristics of the perpetrator, the victim, and the crime by a review of 27 cases and their autopsy reports.

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Abstract

Rape followed by the murder of children and adolescents is one of the most serious crimes, yet research on this topic remains limited despite its severity and extensive media coverage. The investigation of these cases relies on multiple sources of evidence, with forensic autopsy findings playing a fundamental role in reconstructing events, determining the cause of death, and identifying key elements related to the crime. This study presents a descriptive analysis of 27 cases and their autopsy reports of child and adolescent victims of rape-homicide in Chile between 1998 and 2021. It examines injuries, victim and perpetrator characteristics, and crime patterns.
The majority of victims were girls (92.6%), with an average age of 10.3 years. Perpetrators were predominantly single men (75.9%), with an average age of 28.7 years, and 69% had not completed high school. A large proportion of the total number of perpetrators (86.2%) were people who knew their victims. Key forensic findings revealed significant associations between the location of the crime (urban/rural) and both the cause of death and signs of sexual contact. Additionally, significant relationships were observed between the perpetrator’s marital status and cause of death, the perpetrator’s age and signs of sexual contact, and the victim-perpetrator connection (classified as familial, acquaintance, or stranger) and the presence of sexual contact indicators.
This study provides a deeper understanding of this phenomenon in a cultural context that differs from previous research, which has focused primarily on North America, Africa and Europe. Also contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of rape-homicide cases involving children and adolescents and highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to these crimes, highlighting patterns that may aid police investigations, guide pathologists in conducting autopsies, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of crime investigation efforts.

Authors

• Alejandra Acosta-Fuentes, Fundación Amparo y Justicia

• María Soledad Alvarez-Lister, Fundación Amparo y Justicia

• Carolina Pavez, Fundación Amparo y Justicia