Identifying the dead starts with good investigation skills, the ability to solve problematic complexities, and having expert tracking skills to find clues that lead you as the investigator to the dead body. Most investigators find looking for dead parties more time consuming than a normal case, for this reason most Police Departments out source missing persons to investigative agencies that specialize in missing person cases.
Producing Evidence from the Main Source at the Crime Scene
Evidence such as DNA samples, blood, skin, hair, fingerprints, teeth marks, writing samples, tool marks, gun ballistics, and computer analysis all play a role in identifying dead parties that may have been a victim or suspect of a past crime. Well taken notes help investigators find the suspect or victim further down the road if the Police Department is unable to locate a missing person or body immediately after surveying the crime scene. Well documented crime scenes produce quality evidence that is admissible in trial. Following proper procedure of photographing, sketching, taking notes, and filling out proper paper work that identifies time and date of the initial inspection unlocks important clues of who, what, why, where and how a crime occurred.
Identifying Human Remains
Professionals that deal with identifying human remains consist of Forensic Anthropologist, Serologist, Deontologist, Latent Fingerprint Experts, DNA Forensics Analyst, Weapons Ballistic Analyst, Crime Scene Investigative Team, and Forensics Lab Workers. Furthermore these professional investigators usually work as a team to solve complex cases.
Determining the victim is a great feat in its self. Many identifying clues may not be present due to murder cover up; it is possible that an investigator may not find remains immediately after the murder occurred. According to the NCIC FBI statistics 96,192 missing persons have been reported in 2009 out of the 96,192 missing persons 32,843 have been located, another 3,062 have been cancelled, and that leaves 60,187 missing persons unidentified for last year alone. Where are all these people? It looks to me that we need more investigators dedicated to finding missing persons.
When identifying human remains an investigator must be detailed to find any evidence possible that may link them to a missing person’s profile. Such evidence as dental records, sex, ethnicity, approximate age, finger prints, foot prints, physical descriptions, blood grouping, old injuries, disease, markings and skeletal measurements may lead investigators to an identifying match.
Other evidence such as identification cards, driver license, work ID, social security card, credit cards, and store cards may lead to immediate identification of the victim.
DNA evidence produces many clues that allow Crime Scene Investigators to identify dead bodies. If an investigator is able to find evidence that is acceptable to be analyzed as DNA this may solve the case immediately. DNA evidence may consist of blood on clothing, worn shoes, hair samples, swabs of the mouth, and blood samples.
Physical description, DNA, fingerprints, last clothes worn and any other ID that may be located will provide substantial evidence to the Investigative Team. Descriptions of last clothes worn include clothing items such as upper ware, lower ware, under ware, jewellery, eye glasses or contacts lenses.
Usage of Anthropology to Identify Remains
Issues that disallow Forensic Investigators to identify bodies include mummified, burned, skeletonised and incomplete fragments all of the listed make human remains hard to identify by Forensic Investigators. In these situations an investigator may need to perform an autopsy and a facial reconstruction using digital computer programs.
Bone Analysis
“The average adult has 206 bones in the body; adult males have narrower pelvises than females and larger skull sizes.” According to Roome, Debbie (2010, April 11) Forensic Analysis and Identifying Bodies and Their Time of Death from http://Suite 101.com /content/forensic-analysis-and-identifying –bodies-and-their-time-of-death-a224120
Shape of the skull can determine man from women, by measuring the calcium and mineral deposits inside bones an analysis is able to find out vital information about race and age, height this can be determined by the length of the humorous times five.
Distinguishing Women from Men
Fisher, Barry A.J. Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation Seventh Edition (2004) pp 139 CRC Press
· Craniums walls are usually thinner in men than women.
· The angle of the root of the nose where it extends from the head is usually steeper for men than women.
· Women have more rounded eyebrows than men.
· Head of the joint of the upper arm is usually larger in men than women.
· The breast bone, thigh bone and shinbones are larger in men than women.
· A female’s pelvis is constructed lighter than a man’s pelvis.
Teeth are able to be compared to dental records, Teeth revel annual temperature, altitude place of residence all by measuring isotopes of oxygen located in the teeth.
· Wearing down of teeth chewing surfaces
· Loosening, detected from changes in the attachment of the formation of secondary dentine root inside the pulp cavities
· Deposition of cement on or around point of the root
· Degree of transparency of lowest parts
· Corrosion of root points
· Closing of openings
Conclusion
When identifying a dead body many factors can discourage an investigator because the condition of the body may not be considered recognizable, charred and disassembled body parts are very hard to identify. Forensics Investigators are needed to find missing persons, Police Departments are in search for well educated Crime Scene Investigators that know how to solve complex crimes.
References
FBI Publication (2009) NCIC Missing Persons and Unidentified Persons Statics For 2009 from http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/missingpersons2009.htm.#3
Genome Management Human Genome Project Information (2009) from http://ww.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/elsi/forensics.shtml
PBS Forensics (2010) Detective Techniques from http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetective/techniques/forensic.htm
Roome, Debbie (2010, April 11) Forensic Analysis and Identifying Bodies and Their Time of Death from http://Suite 101.com /content/forensic-analysis-and-identifying –bodies-and-their-time-of-death-a224120
Snow, Frederick PhD (2009) Forensic Anthropology Consulting Services, Inc from http://www.forensicssi.com
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