Recovery, Analysis, and Identification of Commingled Human Remains

by Adams, Bradley J., Ph.D.; Byrd, John E., Ph.D.

• ISBN13: 9781588297693
• ISBN10: 1588297691
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-30
• Publisher: Humana Pr Inc

Summary

This book brings together tools from diverse sources within forensic science to offer a set of comprehensive approaches to handling commingled remains. The chapters cover remains recovery, laboratory analysis, and even the use of antermortem databases. Many of the chapters are written by authors who exemplify the spirit of interdisciplinary colaboration. Chapters cover the recovery of commingled remains in the field, the use of triage in the assessment of commingling, various analytical techniques for sorting and determining the number of individuals, the role of DNA in the overall process, ethical considerations, and data management. Case examples, such as the World Trade Center attack will be used to illustrate techniques that were found to be successful and those that were found to be problematic. This book will appeal to forensic scientists and archaeologists in the United States and abroad.

Table of Contents

Methodology in Commingling Analysis: An Historical Overview	p. 1
Spatial Analysis of Mass Grave Mapping Data to Assist in the Reassociation of Disarticulated and Commingled Human Remains	p. 7
Pieces of the Puzzle: FBI Evidence Response Team Approaches to Scenes with Commingled Evidence	p. 31
Commingled Remains and Human Rights Investigations	p. 57
Anthropological Investigations of the Tri-State Crematorium Incident	p. 81
Approaches to Commingling Issues in Archeological Samples: A Case Study from Roman Era Tombs in Greece	p. 97
Anthropologist-Directed Triage: Three Distinct Mass Fatality Events Involving Fragmentation of Human Remains	p. 123
The Use of Radiology in Mass Fatality Events	p. 145
Detection of Commingling in Cremated Human Remains	p. 185
Models and Methods for Osteometric Sorting	p. 199
Patterns of Epiphyseal Union and Their Use in the Detection and Sorting of Commingled Remains	p. 221
How Many People? Determining the Number of Individuals Represented by Commingled Human Remains	p. 241
Assessment of Commingled Human Remains Using a GIS-Based Approach	p. 257
The Application of Traditional Anthropological Methods in a DNA-Led Identification Process	p. 271
Marrying Anthropology and DNA: Essential for Solving Complex Commingling Problems in Cases of Extreme Fragmentation	p. 285
Sorting and Identifying Commingled Remains of U.S. War Dead: The Collaborative Roles of JPAC and AFDIL	p. 301
Resolving Commingling Issues During the Medicolegal Investigation of Mass Fatality Incidents	p. 317
Data Management and Commingled Remains at Mass Fatality Incidents (MFIs)	p. 337
Index	p. 357
Notes on Editors	p. 361
Notes on Contributors	p. 363
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.