Stature estimation from the anthropometric measurements of foot outline in adult indigenous Melanau ethnics of East Malaysia by regression analysis

Abstract

A person’s stature is an identifying characteristic in forensic investigation. Footprint is the one of the valuable physical evidence encountered in the crime scenes. Analysis of footprints helps in estimation of an individual’s stature because of the existence of strong correlation between foot impression and height. Foot impressions are still found at crime scenes, since offenders often tend to remove their footwear either to avoid noise or to gain better grip in climbing walls, etc., while entering or exiting. In Asian countries like India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, there are people who still have the habit of walking barefoot. The footprint provides the size dimensions of the foot’s plantar surface actually touching the floor or hard surface, which produces a two-dimensional footprint while foot outline provides the size parameters of the fleshed bare foot and also represents the boundaries of the foot’s impression in soft soil, mud, or any other substances that produces a three-dimensional footprint impression. The review of literature revealed that very limited studies were conducted on stature estimation from foot outline measurements. Most of the foot/foot impression studies have been conducted on mixed population. The researchers cautioned that racial and cultural aspects of foot morphology must be considered while conducting the foot impression study. In stature estimation using foot impression, formulae derived for a particular population is erroneous to apply for other populations. Hence the present study aims to derive population specific equations to estimate stature from foot outlines of indigenous Melanau ethnics of East Malaysia. Sri Lanka Journal of Forensic Medicine, Science & Law- December 2013;4(2):27-35 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljfmsl.v4i2.6927