FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY The Tales that Bones Tell Forensic

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY The Tales that Bones Tell

Forensic Anthropology n Defined as the analysis of skeletal remains within a legal investigation n Physical Anthropologist = osteologist n Training= BS physical anthropology MS osteology

First Three Questions: n Are the remains actually bone? macroscopic and microscopic study n Are the remains Human? appearance and DNA if available n Are the Remains Ancient or Modern? look for clothing, historic remains, teeth If human, then proceed to identify the remains

Biological Identity (who was it? ) n Age n Sex n Previous Injuries n Cause of Death n Race n Stature/Weight

Approximate Age?

Child 4 years old n The cranium is much larger in relation to the face and mandible at this stage. This is because the brain develops quite rapidly relative to dentition. The mandible and maxilla become larger as permanent molars begin to erupt.

Age Progression in Skulls

Fusing of Skull n Appearance of sutures can give approximate age n In infants there are large gaps which close slowly over time n There is a particular sequence beginning from the inside of the skull and finishes by age 30

4 year old Vertebra

30 Year old Vertebra

71 Year Old Vertebra

Fusing of Epiphyses

Epiphyseal Fusion n Most n Head useful for the first 25 years of Femur 19 – 20 years n Part of hip 24 years n Female bones are usually 1 -2 years ahead of males in development

Conclusion: n Bone Density - drops after 40 n Osteoarthritis- different from other forms that are not age related n Pelvic Joint Morphology- ridge detail wears out over time n Cranial Sutures n Dental Changes

Determination of Sex n After n Skull Puberty accuracy is well over 90% and Pelvis are the most sexually dimorphic skeletal areas

Looking at the Skull

Pelvic Bones

Reason for Wide Pelvis

Previous Injuries or Disease - broken bones(bony scar or callus) n - rickets n - arthritis n - congenital anomaly n

Cause of Death n Radial Fracture on Skull n Hammer matched to site of Trauma

Population Ancestry n Homo sapiens is a single species n There are no absolute physical or genetic reproductive barriers n That said there are some generalizations about “race”

Races n Facial Bones considered to be the only relatively accurate indicators: Nasal cavity, eye socket, jaw n Mistakes easily made especially with the melding of races n Caucasoid, Mongoloid, Negroid

Estimation of Stature n Intact Corpse – easy n Dismembered – must be based on long bones of the corpses n Trotter Method – mathematical regression formula based on the Terry collection and hundreds of servicemen from WW II and the Korean War.

Estimating Stature n White Male 2. 38(femur) + 61. 41 = stature +/- 3. 27 2. 52(tibia) + 78. 62 = stature +/- 3. 37 n Black Male 2. 11(femur) + 70. 35 = stature +/- 3. 94 2. 19(tibia) + 86. 02 = stature +/- 3. 78

Example: n 46 cm femur : n (46)(2. 38) + 61. 41 = 170. 9 cm ( +/- 3. 27) n In Feet and Inches ? n 67. 3 inches which is 5’ 7”

Rohrer Body – Build Index (to estimate the weight of a person) n Compares n Bone mass and bone and height is ~15% of total body mass n Approximations

Uses of Forensic Anthropology n There approximately 5, 000 unidentified bodies discovered each year n Mass Disasters Value Jet Crash in Everglades TWA Explosion World Trade Center Disaster

Forensic Odontology n Training - DDS (dentist) - Usually a one year course specific to forensics