Role Of Forensic Anthropology Research Articles

Dispersion assessment in the location of facial landmarks on photographs.

The morphological assessment of facial features using photographs has played an important role in forensic anthropology. The analysis of anthropometric landmarks for determining facial dimensions and angles has been considered in diverse forensic areas. Hence, the quantification of the error associated to the location of facial landmarks seems to be necessary when photographs become a key element of the forensic procedure. In this work, we statistically evaluate the inter- and intra-observer dispersions related to the facial landmark identification on photographs. In the inter-observer experiment, a set of 18 facial landmarks was provided to 39 operators. They were requested to mark only those that they could precisely place on 10 photographs with different poses (frontal, oblique, and lateral views). The frequency of landmark location was studied together with their dispersion. Regarding the intra-observer evaluation, three participants identified 13 facial points on five photographs classified in the frontal and oblique views. Each landmark location was repeated five times at intervals of at least 24 h. The frequency results reveal that glabella, nasion, subnasale, labiale superius, and pogonion obtained the highest location frequency in the three image categories. On the contrary, the lowest rate corresponds to labiale inferius and menton. Meanwhile, zygia, gonia, and gnathion were significantly more difficult to locate than other facial landmarks. They produced a significant effect on the dispersion depending on the pose of the image where they were placed, regardless of the type of observer that positioned them. In particular, zygia and gonia presented a statistically greater variation in the three image poses, while the location of gnathion is less precise in oblique view photographs. Hence, our findings suggest that the latter landmarks tend to be highly variable when determining their exact position.

The governmental Ri.Sc form for unidentified human remains and the role of forensic anthropology

The governmental Ri.Sc form for unidentified human remains and the role of forensic anthropology

The governmental Ri.Sc form for unidentified human remains and the role of forensic anthropology

The governmental Ri.Sc form for unidentified human remains and the role of forensic anthropology

Discriminant Function Analysis for Sex Assessment in Pelvic Girdle Bones: Sample from the Contemporary Mexican Population

Sex assessment of skeletal remains plays an important role in forensic anthropology. The pelvic bones are the most studied part of the postcranial skeleton for the assessment of sex. It is evident that a population-specific approach improves rates of accuracy within the group. The present study proposes a discriminant function method for the sex assessment of skeletal remains from a contemporary Mexican population. A total of 146 adult human pelvic bones (61 females and 85 males) from the skeletal series pertaining to the National Autonomous University of Mexico were evaluated. Twenty-four direct metrical parameters of coxal and sacral bones were measured and subsequently, sides and sex differences were evaluated, applying a stepwise discriminant function analysis. Coxal and sacra functions achieved accuracies of 99% and 87%, respectively. These analyses follow a population-specific approach; nevertheless, we consider that our results are applicable to any other Hispanic samples for purposes of forensic human identification.

The role of forensic anthropology in Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)

This paper briefly describes Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) and reviews the history of the use of forensic anthropology in the identification process. The potential contributions made by forensic anthropology are illustrated through the presentation of a case study. In February 2009 the state of Victoria in south-eastern Australia experienced the most devastating bushfires in its history, resulting in catastrophic loss of life and public and private property. Within 48 h of the disaster, forensic teams including pathologists, odontologists and anthropologists assembled at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine in Melbourne to begin the task of identifying the deceased. This paper reviews the part played by forensic anthropologists in the identification process and outlines the important contribution anthropologists can make to DVI, especially at the scene, in the mortuary and in the reconciliation process. The anthropologist's experience with differentially preserved human remains meant they played an important role identifying and recovering heavily fragmentary human skeletal remains, differentiating human from non-human remains, establishing basic biological information such as the sex and age of the individuals and confirming or denying the possibility of re-associating body parts for release to families.

Human Hair in Personal Identification and Documenting Drug and Substance Abuse

Human hair has played a significant role in forensic anthropology for decades. The morphological characteristics of human hair have long been utilized for personal identification in forensic investigations. With the development of better analytical techniques, hairs samples are also being used to understand and solve instances of poisoning, drug and substance abuse. This communication presents a brief outline of the structure of various types of hair, its formation and growth, along with its various types. The issues of hair as an evidence, its transfer, utility and significance of its morphological variables are discussed. The importance of hair in documenting exposure to drug and substance abuse is also highlighted. The main advantages and disadvantages of using hair as evidence are also discussed.

The Role of Forensic Anthropology in Mass Fatality Incidents Management

Abstract In mass disaster situations, the positive identification of human remains is an important task performed by forensic scientists, i.e., pathologists, biologists, crime scene investigators, odontologists, fingerprint experts, and anthropologists. The identification process of the victims is usually accomplished by scientific methods. The comparison procedure of a large number of bodies with numerous missing persons calls for dividing the population into discrete subgroups to facilitate the task. Implementing forensic anthropology techniques enables, among other things, the reconstruction of the life history of the individuals concerned, i.e., age, sex, race and stature aids in the cross-sectional analysis. The importance of the role of the forensic anthropologist in all stages of investigation of mass disasters from the recovery process of remains, analyzing them, and interpreting signs of mechanical trauma and disease as well as positive identification, is discussed.

The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Examination of the Daegu Subway Disaster (2003, Korea)*

Meticulous recovery of victims in the Daegu subway disaster was possible, because charred and fragmented victims were left in situ. Because bodies were piled one over another within the train, appropriate methodology during the recovery was critical to identifying the victims. The disaster area was thoroughly documented with notes, photographs, and schematic drawings of the various locations. The recovery team, comprising two medical examiners and one forensic anthropologist, decided when charred body parts and cremated bones were linked to the same individual based on the anatomy and forensic anthropological examination. Without these recovery procedures, it would not have been possible to efficiently harvest representative DNA sample from most of the victims' body parts. After the entire process of identification, 136 victims were positively identified, and six victims remained unidentified. This study supports the crucial role of forensic anthropologists in the recovery of victims, especially in fire scenes.

Fundamentals of forensic anthropology

PHOTO CREDITS. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. SERIES INTRODUCTION. PART I BACKGROUND SETTING FOR FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY. 1 Introduction. Overview of the Field. Education and Training. Overview of the Book. 2 The Role of Forensic Anthropology in Historical Context. The Somewhat Difficult Birth of a Specialty. The Middle Years. Approaching Senescence? PART II TOWARDS PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION. 3 Initial Assessments of Skeletal Remains. Human or Not? Number of Individuals Represented. 4 Assignment of Sex. Criteria for Sex Attribution in the Adult Skeleton. Pelvic Traits. The Skull. Visual Assessment. Discriminant Function Analysis. The Appendicular Bones. Femur. Humerus. Other Appendicular Elements. Miscellaneous Axial Bones. Attribution of Sex from the Skeletons of Children. Figuring the Error Rate. 5 Age Estimation. The Early Years. Dental Age. Bone Age. Long Bone Length. Union of Primary Ossification Centers. Epiphyseal Fusion. The Adult Years. Macroscopic Methods. Face of the Pubic Symphysis. Sternal Extremity of the Rib. The Auricular Surface. Cranial Suture Closure. Dental Methods. Microscopic Methods. Other Age Indicators. Concluding Remarks on Adult Age Estimation. 6 Deciphering Ancestral Background. The Biological and the Cultural. The Biological Context. The Cultural Component. Skeletal Indicators. The Skull. The Postcranium. 7 Stature Estimation. How Tall Are You, Really? Estimation of Living Stature from Skeletal Remains. The Fully Method. Stature Estimation From Long Bone Length. Comparison of Methods. Reporting Stature Estimates. Correcting Stature Estimates for Older Adults. Secular Trend. Stature Estimates from Fragmentary Long Bones. Stature Estimation from Short Bone Length. Footwear and Foot Length. 8 Skeletal Markers of Activity and Life History. Childbirth Indicators. Handedness. Other Activity Markers. Partial Medical History. Medical Radiology. PART III PRINCIPAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL ROLES IN MEDICAL-LEGAL INVESTIGATION. 9 Trauma. Blunt Force Trauma. Cranial Fracture. Hyoid Fracture. Postcranial Fracture. Child Abuse. Penetrating and Perforating Trauma. Gunshot Wounds. Sharp Injuries. 10 The Postmortem Period. Estimation of the Postmortem Interval. Postmortem Events. Carnivore Scavenging. Cremation. Has the Body Been Burned? Fracturing. Bone Shrinkage. Dismemberment. Ritual Use of Skeletal Material. 11 Professionalism, Ethics, and the Expert Witness. The Expert Witness. Standards and Credentials for Expert Testimony. Some Practical Issues. Ethics. Science in the Courtroom: Two Unfortunate Examples. When Good Science is not Presented. When Good Science is Ignored. 12 Genetics and DNA. Serology and Mendelian Genetics. Forensic DNA Analysis. Legal Considerations. References. Index.

Forensic Osteological Analysis: A Book of Case Studies

Edited by Scott I. Fairgrieve, 340 pp, with illus, Springfield, Ill, Charles C Thomas Ltd, 1999.This is a book of case studies on how skeletal analysis is applied to human and animal remains in medicolegal cases. The book probes the limits of forensic osteology and examines both successes and failures. The book does not teach the reader how to establish identification from skeletal remains, but rather supplies useful practical information about how actual skeletal analyses have been performed in a wide variety of cases.The 20 chapters, written by 32 contributors, cover the broad gamut of forensic identification, including identifying human versus animal bones, sex determination, DNA analysis, cremated remains, historical cases, facial reconstruction, video superimposition, detection of strangulation, unusual skeletal anomalies, mass disasters, and human rights investigations. Material on the use of insects in death investigation is also included. There is an excellent discussion of the pathologic changes seen on human skeletons before, during, and after death.The chapter on mass disasters discusses a collision between a passenger train and a freight train that occurred near Hinton, Alberta, Canada, in February 1986, resulting in 23 fatalities. The collision caused massive deformation of the passenger and freight cars with entrapment of the victims. An intense diesel fuel fire supplemented by spilled grain and sulfur from the freight cars hampered recovery efforts. Cold weather and large amounts of burned railcar insulation, which simulated burned bone, further complicated the process.The chapter on the role of forensic anthropology in human rights issues presents compelling information on the difficulties encountered in investigating genocide cases on foreign soil. Among the obstacles to the exhumation of a 1991 mass grave at Ovcara, Croatia, believed to contain as many as 200 remains, were land minds, explosives, and military and political intimidation. During a 1994 civil war in Rwanda, Hutu extremists killed 500 000 to 800 000 Tutsi. Forensic experts, including forensic anthropologists, archeologists, and pathologists from various parts of the world, participated in the recovery and analysis of the skeletal remains that resulted from the genocide in the vicinity of a church in Kibuye, Rwanda. Heat, explosives, poisonous snakes, and heavy vegetation made the work hazardous.The illustrations used in the book are of excellent quality, were carefully selected, and greatly facilitate understanding. Excellent references accompany each chapter. The book is primarily designed for students of forensic anthropology and presumes a background in human anatomy and osteology. Forensic pathologists and dentists who do identification work will also find this book very useful. The book provides an excellent overview of the field of forensic anthropology. It clearly delineates the potential contribution that can be made by the forensic anthropologist and archeologist in cases involving skeletal remains and encourages the early involvement of these specialists in the recovery of those remains.

The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Recovery and Analysis of Branch Davidian Compound Victims: Assessing the Accuracy of Age Estimations

Age-at-death estimations of 44 individuals (27 adults, 17 children) from the Branch Davidian sample were compared with their actual ages. Estimations were evaluated for bias and accuracy for the actual age at death. Although the overall average estimates correlated well with the actual ages (r = 0.946), several individuals displayed high residual requiring further analysis and review. These individuals displayed age-related features that did not correspond with the expected morphology for individuals of their ages. Several age estimation techniques scored these individuals with all bias in the same direction. These examples should serve as cautionary reminders that biology does not always correlate with expected outcomes, particularly in such multifaceted traits such as age.

The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Recovery and Analysis of Branch Davidian Compound Victims: Techniques of Analysis

The recovery and analysis of human remains from the Branch Davidian Compound, Mount Carmel, Texas, was a multidisciplinary team effort. This presentation deals with one aspect of the forensic anthropological contribution to this collaborative endeavor--the examination and inventory of human skeletal remains and the interpretation of these osteological data. Briefly described first are the content and format of the skeletal inventory and the examination procedures used for data collection. Two subsequent sections illustrate the use of these data to determine (a) age, sex, ancestry, stature, and other distinguishing characteristics, and (b) the presence and nature of any premortem, perimortem, and postmortem trauma. The next section shows how these findings assist in establishing positive identification through, for example, comparison with medical, dental, and other background records, especially comparison of premortem and postmortem radiographs of bones or dentition. In this context, we consider also the sorting of commingled remains, which includes preliminary assessment of rapidly decomposing remains prior to autopsy to preserve information crucial to identification.