FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

1. FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

2. “The pathologist’s domain is that of dead bodies; the forensic anthropologist applies his expertise to skeletal remains.”

3. I – Recovery of Remains • II – Skeletal examination • III – Forensic identification • IV – Reconstructing identity

4. Legal aspects Court order for exhumation Exact location of burial Date and time of exhumation Complete list of persons attending Scaled sketches of gravesite Photographs Burial site Coffin in situ Coffin above ground Recovery of Remains

5. Helicopters Disturbances of soil or vegetation Aerial photography with infrared film Ground search Sunken area Damage to vegetation Steel rod probe Methane gas detector Grid pattern Remove only a few inches of soil at a time Clandestinely buried bodies

6. After remains are recovered • Coffin or remains transported to morgue or other facility • Careful opening – protect evidence for court

7. Decay rate facility Mummification – desiccation Adipocere – “grave wax” Freezing Moisture Even is not in any type of container, bodies will last longer underground Rule of Thumb for rate of decomp – One week open air = two weeks in water = eight weeks underground Anthropology Research Facility

8. “The Body Farm”

9. “A person’s job, diet, illness, chronic disease and/or trauma leave their mark on a person’s skeletal remains.” Skeletal examination

10. Morphological analysis Features Marked by size and shape Metric analysis Hamann-Todd/ Cleveland (3,100) Terry/Smithsonian (1,600) Cobb/ Howard University (600) Identification techniques

11. Formulas from Metric Analysis • From collections • Forensic Data Bank (FDB) – UT Knoxville in 1980s • FORDISC – UT in 1993 and updated periodically – computer program

12. Excavated remains cleaned in forensic lab Arranged in correct anatomical order Anthropological Examination

13. Depending upon bones present, forensic anthropologist may be able to determine • Sex • Race • Age • Stature

14. Immature vs Mature Skeleton • Before puberty biological identification of remains can be difficult • Bones are mostly cartilage • Growth plates not fused • Sexual differences not as pronounced • Best determinant – skull with dentition

15. Sex determination - Pelvis

17. Sex determination – Long Bones

18. Humerus, Radius, Femur

19. Sex determination - Skull

22. Race determination - Skull • Race determinations • Mongoloid • Asian • Native American Indian • Caucasoid • White • Hispanic • Negroid • African American

23. Mongoloid

24. Caucasoid

25. Negroid

26. Characteristics of Dentition Less affected by environmental factors Hardest structure in human body Tooth buds developing 2nd month after conception Eruption follows pattern In Adult skeleton Resorption of bone Attrition Root resorption Cementum annulation – counting tree trunk rings Age determination - Dentition

27. Deciduous eruption

28. Permanent eruption

30. Age – Long bone development

31. Age – Skull development • 29 bones in the skull • Initial fusion few weeks postnatal • Continues through age 21 – 35 yrs • Mathematical formulas for using sutures to determine age

33. Height determination – Long bones • Rule of thumb – “Height roughly equals 5 times the length of the humerus.” • Since it is only an estimate, always have height be a range • Formulas 2.38 (femur length cm)+61.41 = Stature +/- 3.27

34. Manner of death Accident Suicide Homicide Natural causes Undetermined causes Cause of death – medical reason for death Asphyxia Drowning Stabbing Gun shot wound Etc Evidence of Trauma

35. Determine when Trauma took place • Antemortem – before death • Perimortem – around the time of death • Postmortem – after death occurred

36. Antemortem trauma • Bone healing or bone remodeling – depends upon • Age/health of individual • Nature/extent of injury • Location of injury • Bone healing has a distinctive look • Bony callus • Smooth edges • Usually no clues as to death

38. Lesions have no sign of healing Perimortem trauma

39. Intentional dismemberment Tool marks left on bone Unintentional dismemberment Animal tooth marks left on bone Postmortem trauma

40. Short duration fires Skeleton usually survives Cremation Very small fragments and ash Differences in prolonged fires with green bones and dry bones Burned bone

41. Green bone – fleshed bones Deep transverse fracture lines Warping Blackened tissue Dry bone Longitudinal fracture line Superficial cracking Little warping Differences

42. Reconstructing Identity • Forensic Odontology • Facial Reconstruction • Nuclear or Genomic DNA • Mitochondrial DNA

43. Forensic Odontology • Antemortem and Postmortem dental charting and radiographs • Missing,unerupted, or extracted teeth; supernumerary teeth • Restorations and prostheses • Decay

45. Plastic 3 D reconstruction 2 dimensional reconstruction Facial Reconstruction

46. Computerized programs for Facial Reconstruction