Forensic anthropology casework from Switzerland (Bern): Taphonomic implications for the future

Abstract

Retrospective, observational studies of forensic casework enhance knowledge on topics such as postmortem interval (PMI) estimations and search strategies. This 10-year survey of forensic anthropology (FA) casework performed at the Department of Physical Anthropology in the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland, provides insights into a variety of human bone cases recovered in different circumstances. In this study, we present 58 cases from our forensic database. The surveyed forensic cases comprise a high proportion of dispersed remains, leading to low recovery rates. In addition, about a third of the cases were discovered in the Swiss Alps. Future studies and research should concentrate on enhancing the recovery rate in outdoor forensic scenes and on research in PMI estimation. This is especially important for remains found in high altitudes, because due to the melting glaciers, we expect more previously covered and frozen remains to be released in the following years. Systematic, longitudinal case reviews further provide a reference that can be used to refer to in FA expertises.