autopsies conducted on six of them, not including Pedro López Chaurán;87 and briefs and resolutions on the processing of the case before the courts. The IACHR’s case file contains seven complete statements collected as evidence produced before trial; 45 incomplete extracts of interview transcripts; and the complete results of four autopsies conducted following the exhumations. 43. The IACHR has news items exposing alleged irregularities in the investigation process, specifically regarding the pressure the National Guard put on the investigating bodies and the inmates and their relatives during the investigation.88 The list of evidence found in the case file submitted by the State in 2013 indicated that no evidence had been requested or produced in the case since 2006. 2. Autopsies of the deceased individuals 44. The bodies of the five deceased individuals were exhumed and autopsies were conducted on March 22, 2004. The exhumation and autopsy of Richard Núñez revealed the cause of death to be “skull fracture resulting from a gunshot wound to the head.” Specifically, the projectile “traced a trajectory from back to front, from right to left, and from below upward” and “there are [...] signs of hemorrhaging” in the cranial cavity. There were no signs of traumatic injury to the rest of the body.89 45. The exhumation and autopsy of Orangel Figueroa revealed the cause of death to be “hypovolemic shock from a gunshot wound.” No traumatic injuries were observed to the head or neck. The autopsy found “rib fractures on the right and left sides of the ribcage [that] could correspond to the trajectory of a projectile that entered and fractured the fourth rib on the left side and exited fracturing the eighth and tenth ribs on the right side.” Likewise, “two entry holes were noted in the pelvic bone, caused by a projectile fired from a firearm.” X-rays “observed a projectile (lead and jacketing) in the head of the left femur.”90 46. The exhumation and autopsy of José Gregorio Bolívar revealed the cause of death to be “skull fracture resulting from a gunshot wound to the head.” Specifically, it was observed that the skull was fractured by a projectile, “with a trajectory from front to back, left to right, and up to down.” Likewise, “the rear left hemithorax [...] shows loss of 4 cm of tissue, corresponding to the passage of multiple projectiles (pellets) [...].” Pellets were noted throughout the thorax, along with five broken ribs. “These fractures were not produced by projectiles, given the extensive loss of tissue [...] they must have been caused by blunt force trauma.” The body showed no further signs of traumatic injury.91 47. The exhumation and autopsy of Héctor Muñoz reveals “three orifices caused by the passage of a projectile fired from a firearm” and concludes that the cause of death was “skull fracture resulting from gunshot wounds to the head.” The trajectory was “from back to front, from right to left, and slightly downward.” The body showed no further signs of traumatic injury.92 48. The documentation on the exhumation of Joel Reyes is incomplete. It provides only a few photos of the body and the autopsy showing an entry wound in the skull of approximately 1.5 x 1 cm near the left eye and an exit wound of 4.3 x 3 cm near the right ear, presumably caused by a firearm.93 See also Annex 20. Así Es La Noticia. Fiscalía ordenó exhumación de cinco de los cadáveres de reos de Vista Hermosa (23-24/1/2004). Annex to the initial petition. 88 Annex 21. No date or issue number (assumed to be from the beginning of 2004). Based on a news item from Correo de Caroní. “Testigos bajo amenaza: La defensora del pueblo del estado Bolívar asegura que funcionarios del Cicpc y la GN intimidan a familiares de presos de la cárcel de Vista Hermosa para que no declaren;” Annex 12. No date or issue number. “La Fiscalía ordena proteger a los testigos” (“Sources from the Office of the Public Prosecutor could not explain how the […] head of the 8th Regional Command of the National Guard could have access to the autopsies and other evidence collected by CICPC officials, as the case file is in the investigation stage and only prosecutors and police investigators have access to it”). Annex to the initial petition. 89 Annex 22. Autopsies of Richard Núñez, Orangel Figueroa, “Goyo” Bolívar, Héctor Muñoz, and Joel Reyes. Annex D1 of the initial petition. 90 Idem. 91 Idem. 92 Idem. 93 Idem. 87 10