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An all-encompassing reference and guide designed for professionals involved in the forensic analysis of burnt remains
Burnt Human Remains: Recovery, Analysis and Interpretation presents an in-depth multidisciplinary approach to the detection, recovery, analysis, and identification of thermally altered remains. Bridging the gap between research and practice, this invaluable one-stop reference provides detailed coverage of analytical techniques in forensic medicine and pathology, forensic anthropology, forensic odontology, and forensic chemistry and forensic biology. Contributions from a panel of expert authors review the newest findings in forensics research and discuss their applicability to forensic case work.
Opening with a historical overview of the discipline, the book covers the search and recovery aspects of burnt human remains, medico-legal investigations, determination of the post mortem interval of burnt remains, structural changes of burnt bone and teeth, DNA extraction from burnt remains, and much more. Throughout the text, the authors emphasize the importance of understanding the changes undergone by bodies when subjected to fire for establishing identity, reconstructing the events leading up to incineration, and determining the cause and manner of death.
Burnt Human Remains: Recovery, Analysis and Interpretation is an indispensable resource for all practitioners engaged in the interpretation of burned human tissue, including pathologists, forensic chemists, forensic biologists, forensic anthropologists, forensic odontologists, and archaeologists.
Sarah Ellingham, Forensic Coordinator, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Geneva, Switzerland.
Joe Adserias Garriga, Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Forensic Sciences, Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania, USA.
Sara C. Zapico, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, New Jersey, USA., and Research Collaborator, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
Douglas H. Ubelaker, Curator and Senior Scientist, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
About the Editors xiii
List of Contributors xv
Preface xxvii
Series Preface xxix
1 History of the Study of Burnt Remains 1
Douglas H. Ubelaker and Austin A. Shamlou
1.1 Early Developments Prior to 1980 1
1.2 Post-1980 Advanced Experimentation and Casework 3
1.3 The 1990s: New Methods and Case Applications 4
1.4 Summary and Conclusions 6
References 7
Part 1 Search and Recovery of Burnt Human Remains from the Fire Scene
2 Fire Environments and Characteristic Burn Patterns of Human Remains from Four Common Types of Fatal Fire Scenes 13
Elayne Pope
2.1 Introduction 13
2.2 Experimental Research of Fire and Human Bodies 14
2.3 How the Human Body Burns 14
2.4 Variables of Fire Environments 17
2.5 Structure Fires 18
2.6 Burning Directly on the Floor 19
2.7 The Body on Furnishings: Couches and Chairs 19
2.8 The Body on Furnishings: Bed 21
2.9 Loss of the Floor 22
2.10 Collapse into a Lower Level 23
2.11 Vehicle Fires 24
2.12 Driver and Passenger Space 25
2.13 Rear Passenger Space with Bench Seats 26
2.14 Trunk Environment 26
2.15 Confined Space Fires 28
2.16 Outdoor Space Fires 29
2.17 Ignitable Liquids on Bodies 29
2.18 Burning Outdoor Debris Piles 30
2.19 Post-Fire Fragmentation of Burnt Bones 31
2.20 Suppression 32
2.21 Recovery and Transport from Fatal Fire Scenes 33
2.22 Conclusions 35
References 35
3 Recovery and Interpretation of Human Remains from Fatal Fire Scenes 37
Alexandra R. Klales; Allison Nesbitt; Dennis C. Dirkmaat and Luis L. Cabo
3.1 Introduction 37
3.2 Summary of Fires in the USA 39
3.3 Statement of the Problem 39
3.4 Current Fatal Fire Victim Recovery Protocols 42
3.5 NIJ Protocols 43
3.6 Special Circumstances 51
3.7 Conclusions 55
References 55
4 Considerations to Maximize Recovery of Post-mortem Dental Information to Facilitate Identification of Severely Incinerated Human Remains 59
John Berketa and Denice Higgins
4.1 Introduction 59
4.2 Identification 59
4.3 Documentation 60
4.4 Preparation 61
4.5 Prepacked Scene Equipment 61
4.6 Scene Arrival 63
4.7 Safety Issues 63
4.8 Overall Scene Evaluation 65
4.9 Considerations Regarding DNA Evidence 66
4.10 Considerations Regarding Dental Evidence 67
4.11 Moving the Victim 69
4.12 Conclusions 71
References 71
Part 2 Examination and Identification of Burnt Human Remains
5 Methods for Analyzing Burnt Human Remains 75
Amanda N. Williams
5.1 Anthropological Methods for Classifying Burnt Remains 76
5.2 Medicolegal Classification Methods 78
5.3 Need for New Model within the Forensic Sciences 79
5.4 A New Classification System 80
5.5 Best Practices in Applying this New Model 83
5.6 Case Study #1 83
5.7 Case Study #2 86
5.8 Case Study #3 88
5.9 Case Study #4 90
5.10 Case Study #5 92
5.11 Broader Implications 95
5.12 Conclusions 95
Acknowledgments 96
References 96
6 Burnt Human Remains and Forensic Medicine 99
Sarah Ellingham; Joe Adserias-Garriga and Peter Ellis
6.1 Fire Death Statistics 99
6.2 Statistics of Manner of Fire-Related Deaths 100
6.2.1 Prevalence of Self-Immolation 100
6.2.2 Prevalence of Criminal Immolation 101
6.3 Fire Damage to the Body 102
6.4 Classification of the Degree of Fire Damage 103
6.5 Medicolegal Determination of Cause of Death 105
6.6 Medicolegal Determination of Manner of Death 106
6.7 The Use of Post-Mortem Imaging for the Analysis of Burn Victims 108
6.8 Conclusion 110
Acknowledgments 110
References 110
7 Skeletal Alteration of Burnt Remains through Fire Exposure 113
Joe Adserias-Garriga
7.1 Assessment of the Severity of the Thermal Damage in the Forensic Context 114
7.2 Soft Tissue Alterations by Fire Exposure 115
7.3 Bone Alteration by Fire Exposure 116
7.4 Teeth Alteration by Fire Exposure 120
7.5 Signature Changes in Skeletal Elements after Cremation 122
7.6 Conclusions 129
References 130
8 Challenges of Biological Profile Estimation from Burnt Remains 133
Tim J.U. Thompson
8.1 Why Does Burning Affect Methods of Identification? 134
8.2 How Does the Context of Burning Impede the Creation of Biological Profiles? 135
8.3 Challenges of Biological Profile Estimation of Burnt Remains 137
8.3.1 Morphological Methods 137
8.3.2 Metric Methods 139
8.3.3 Other Approaches to Biological Profile Estimation 140
8.4 Conclusions 142
References 142
9 Victim Identification: The Role of Incinerated Dental Materials 147
Peter J. Bush; Mary A. Bush and Raymond Miller
9.1 Introduction 147
9.2 Microstructural Changes in Teeth after Incineration 148
9.3 Structural Changes Due to Restorative Procedures 149
9.4 Case Reports 151
9.4.1 Case Report 1: Airline Crash 151
9.4.2 Case Report 2: Double Homicide 161
9.5 Conclusions 165
References 166
10 Techniques for the Differentiation of Blunt Force Sharp Force and Gunshot Traumas from Heat Fractures in Burnt Remains 167
Hanna Friedlander; Megan Moore and Pamela Mayne Correia
10.1 Introduction 167
10.2 Bone Fracture Biomechanics: Fresh Bone 168
10.3 Bone Fracture Biomechanics: Stages of Thermal Damage 170
10.4 Heat Fractures 171
10.5 Blunt Force Trauma in Burnt Remains 172
10.6 Sharp Force Trauma in Burnt Remains 175
10.7 Gunshot Trauma in Burnt Remains 177
10.8 Case Study: 3D Modelling of Traumatic and Heat Fractures in Cranial and Irregular Bone 179
10.9 Discussion 182
10.10 Conclusions 184
Acknowledgments 185
Permissions 185
References 185
Part 3 Analytical Approaches to the Analysis of Burnt Bone
11 Biochemical Alterations of Bone Subjected to Fire 193
Sarah Ellingham and Sara C. Zapico
11.1 The Biological and Chemical Makeup of Fresh Bone 193
11.1.1 Introduction 193
11.2 Bone Transformation When Subjected to Heat 195
11.3 Analytical Approaches to Observing Bone Transformation 196
11.3.1 Colorimetry 196
11.3.2 SEM-EDX 196
11.3.3 Fourier Transform Infrared-Spectroscopy 198
11.3.4 Raman Spectroscopy 200
11.3.5 X-Ray Diffraction 201
11.3.6 Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) 202
11.3.7 Amino Acid Racemization 202
11.4 DNA 204
11.5 Changes to the Bone at Different Temperatures 205
11.5.1 100°C Exposure 205
11.5.2 200°C Exposure 206
11.5.3 300°C Exposure 206
11.5.4 400°C Exposure 207
11.5.5 500°C Exposure 207
11.5.6 600°C Exposure 207
11.5.7 700°C Exposure 207
11.5.8 800°C Exposure 208
11.5.9 900°C Exposure 208
11.5.10 1000°C Exposure 208
11.6 Conclusion 208
Acknowledgment 209
References 209
12 DNA Profiling from Burnt Remains 213
Sara C. Zapico and Rebecca Stone-Gordon
12.1 Introduction 213
12.2 Research Studies on Burnt Remains 214
12.3 Forensic Cases 218
12.4 Alternative Approaches and New Technologies 221
12.4.1 Assessment of DNA Damage 221
12.4.2 Alternatives for DNA Extraction 222
12.4.3 New Technologies 223
12.5 Conclusions 225
References 226
13 Applying Colorimetry to the Study of Low Temperature Thermal Changes in Bone 229
Christopher W. Schmidt and Alexandria McDaniel
13.1 Introduction 229
13.2 Colorimetry 230
13.3 Challenges of Colorimetry 232
13.4 Case Study 233
13.5 Conclusion 236
References 236
14 The Use of Histology to Distinguish Animal from Human Burnt Bone with Reference to Some Limitations 241
Pamela Mayne Correia; Kalyna Horocholyn and Kassandra Pointer
14.1 Introduction 241
14.2 Bone Tissue 242
14.2.1 Primary Bone Tissue 243
14.2.2 Secondary Bone 252
14.3 Vertebrate Histology 254
14.4 Burnt Bone Histology 256
14.5 Case Study for Comparison of Histology of Cremated Bone 259
14.5.1 Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis for Case Study 259
14.6 Discussion 264
14.7 Conclusion 266
References 267
15 Isotope Analysis from Cremated Remains 273
Christophe Snoeck
15.1 Introduction 273
15.2 Infrared Analyses 274
15.3 Radiocarbon Dating 276
15.4 Isotope Analyses 277
15.4.1 Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Ratios 277
15.4.2 Strontium Isotope Ratios and Concentrations 281
15.5 Archaeological Case Studies 282
15.5.1 Stonehenge 282
15.5.2 Meuse Basin Belgium and the Netherlands 283
15.6 Conclusions 285
Acknowledgments 285
References 285
16 The Application of Imaging to Heat-Induced Bone 291
Rachael M. Carew and David Errickson
16.1 Introduction 291
16.2 Technological Progression 292
16.3 The Current Technology 294
16.3.1 Two-Dimensional Imaging 294
16.3.2 Three-Dimensional Imaging 295
16.4 The Application of Imaging to Heat-Induced and Burnt Bodies 299
16.4.1 Locating and Identifying Burnt Bone 299
16.4.2 Visual Capture and Documentation for Recording and Archiving 300
16.4.3 Quantifying and Analyzing Burnt Remains 301
16.4.4 Reconstruction 302
16.4.5 Ethical and Legal Considerations within the Forensic Context 305
16.5 Discussion and Conclusion 306
References 308
17 The First Reference Collection for the Research of Burnt Human Skeletal Remains Stemming from the 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection (Portugal) 313
David Gonçalves; Calil Makhoul; Maria Teresa Ferreira and Eugénia Cunha
17.1 Introduction 313
17.1.1 The Challenge Posed by Burnt Skeletal Remains 313
17.1.2 Changing the Paradigm 315
17.1.3 The 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection 320
17.1.4 Preparing the Skeletons 321
17.1.5 Composition of the Collection 323
17.2 Research Potential 324
17.3 Final Comments 327
Acknowledgments 328
References 328
Part 4 Case Studies
18 Analysis of Burnt Human Remains: Statistical Perspectives from Casework in Forensic Anthropology 337
Douglas H. Ubelaker; Cassandra M. DeGaglia and Haley Khosrowshahi
18.1 Introduction 337
18.2 Materials and Methods 337
18.3 Results 339
18.4 Discussion 342
18.5 Conclusions 344
Literature Cited 344
19 The Challenge of Burnt Remains from the Brazilian “Microwave Oven” 345
Melina Calmon Silva; Eugénia Cunha and Yara Vieira Lemos
19.1 Introduction 345
19.2 Brazilian Homicide Rates 346
19.3 The Relationship between Homicide and Drugs 347
19.4 The “Microwave Oven” Modality of Death / Disposability of Human Remains 348
19.4 Phases of Rubber Tire Combustion 350
19.5 The Challenges of Investigating “Microwave Oven” Deaths 351
19.6 The Role of Forensic Anthropology 353
19.6.1 Case Study 1 354
19.6.2 Case Study 2 359
19.7 Conclusion 365
Conflicts of Interest 366
Ethical Approval 366
Acknowledgments 366
References 367
20 Recovery and Identification of Fatal Fire Victims from the 2018 Northern California Camp Fire Disaster 371
Colleen Milligan; Alison Galloway; Ashley Kendell; Lauren Zephro; P. Willey and Eric Bartelink
20.1 Overview of the Camp Fire 371
20.2 Wildfire Burn Environments and Condition of Remains 374
20.3 Field to Morgue: What’s Important for Identification Efforts? 375
20.4 Morgue Identification 379
20.5 Conclusions 381
References 381
21 Recovery and Identification of Burnt Remains in a Military Theatre of Operations: The Warrior Six 383
Julie Roberts
21.1 Introduction 383
21.1.1 Improvised Explosive Devices and Blast Injuries 384
21.1.2 The Effects of Heat on Bone 384
21.2 Background to the Case 385
21.3 Assessment of the Vehicle and Recovered Remains 387
21.4 Excavation Strategy and Methodology 390
21.5 Examination of the Remains in the Temporary Mortuary 394
21.6 Examinations in the Role 3 Hospital 398
21.6.1 Soldier A 398
21.6.2 Soldier B 398
21.6.3 Soldier C 399
21.6.4 Soldier D 399
21.6.5 Soldier E 400
21.6.6 Soldier F 400
21.7 Post-mortem Examinations and Positive Identification in the UK 401
21.8 Conclusions 403
Acknowledgments 403
References 403
22 Volcanoes Bones and Heat: The Case of the AD 79 Victims of Vesuvius 407
Pier paolo Petrone
22.1 Introduction 407
22.2 The AD 79 Eruption of Vesuvius 408
22.3 The Date of the Eruption 410
22.4 Historical and Archaeological Context of the Discovery 411
22.5 Bioarchaeological and Taphonomic Study 413
22.6 The Causes of Death 418
22.7 The Most Recent Studies 420
22.8 An Exceptional Discovery 427
22.9 Conclusions 430
References 431
Index 437
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