FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

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FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY

• ANTH-430

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What will you get out of this course?

• Knowledge of the Human Skeleton
• Understanding of the Process of Decomposition
• Understand the Processes of Taphonomy
• Knowledge of Proper retrieval methods
• Understand the Role the Forensic Anthropologist
  plays in the Legal Process

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SYLLABUS

• Course evaluation is based on the following
• Osteological quiz 10
• Taphonomy Report 10
• Crime Scene Report 10
• Trauma Assignment 10
• Decay Assignment 15
• Journal of decay 15
• Participation 5
• Final Examination 25

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Osteological Quiz

• This quiz will cover the entire human skeleton.
  The quiz will be set up as a bell-ringer for
  students to identify and describe bones and bone
  fragments.

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Taphonomy Report

• We will make a tour of the Cayo district in order
  for students to identify different local
  environments and the taphonomic forces that could
  affect a body if deposited in one of these
  locales.
• Students are to write this assignment from the
  view of a criminal.
• If you had a body you wanted to get rid of where
  would you put it?
• Students will describe each environment visited
  and discuss the taphonomic forces that could be
  at play on a body
• look at the implications for the recovery and
  identification of the remains, and the factors
  that could lead to dispersal and/or destruction
  prior to recovery.
• Try to show how you could get away with murder.
  

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Crime Scene Recovery

• A mock crime scene will be set up.
• Students will be expected to properly establish
  the crime scene and recover the human skeletal
  remains.
• A Field Report based on the findings will then be
  completed

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Decomposition Assignment

• From the assessment of our pig experiment you
  will discuss the rates of decomposition of a
  human body in a tropical country.
• It is expected that you will need to refer to
  outside sources on discussions on rates of
  decomposition in the tropics.
• This should be roughly 3-5 pages in length.

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Journal of Decay

• A journal will be kept as an assessment of decay.
• Assessments will made throughout the day three
  to four times when possible
• We will then ascertain how long it takes for a
  body to decompose in Belize.
• Photos, drawings, and notes should be made of the
  observations seen each day.

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What is Forensic Anthropology?

• anthropology the study of
• humans
• forensic argument to a court during a trial.

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What is Forensic Anthrology?

• Applied Anthropology Biological Anthropology
• Application of
• Human Osteology
• - Archaeological Field Method
• to the LEGAL process
• These methods aid law
• enforcement in the collection
• analysis of the human
• remains to establish the
• biological profile cause or death

Detail from Albinus, 1747
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Forensic anthropologists recover analyze
human remains for the police coroners.
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FORENSIC SCIENCES

• The fields of study in medicine jurisprudence
  that deal with legal issues criminal civil
• Specialists have evolved to focus on the specific
  aspects of their disciplines most useful to the
  courts
• A Forensic Scientist comes from a scientific
  discipline, such as Chemistry, Biology,
  Medicine, Anthropology

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WHY Forensic Anthropology?

• A Biological Anthropologist, usually
  specializing in Osteology/Bioarchaeology can be a
  Forensic Anthropologist when asked to assist in a
  legal investigation involving the decomposed or
  skeletonized human remains when the identity of
  the individual(s) is unknown or the cause/manner
  of death unknown.

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Individual skeletal remains
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when decomposition of the body inhibits an
identification of the individual.
Jon Jefferson
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When the remains still have flesh, but it is
difficult to determine age or trauma that may
have impacted the skeleton
BBC In pictures Burma aid effort
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When the remains have been cremated
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When there is a mass disaster (911, plane crash)
Members of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
and local villagers work together excavating a
crash site in Dong Hoi, Vietnam, July 16, 2006. A
15-member JPAC team including a forensic
anthropologist, . will be working in Vietnam for
a month attempting to recover the remains of
pilots that crashed in the area during the
Vietnam War. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt.
Derrick C. Goode)
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Or when there are International Human Rights
Cases (East Timor, Guatemala, Argentina, Rwanda)
El Salvador, 1992.An Argentine forensic
anthropology team worker helps excavate the site
of the El Mozote massacre, where a Salvadoran
army battalion killed about 800 villagers, almost
half of them children. Credit Daniel Muzio
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Historic Cases

• Francisco Pizarro
• The Romanovs
• The Ice Man

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FA GENERALLY CANNOT DO

• autopsies
• make the final determination of cause or manner
  of death (this is the job of the
  pathologist,coroner, or medical examiner)
• make final positive identifications on the basis
  of dental or medical x-rays (a forensic
  odontologist or radiologist is best trained to do
  this).

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Challenges

• Are the remains human?Depending on the level of
  decomposition, animal remains are often mistaken
  for human remains. Common techniques employed are
  skeletal morphology, radiography, and histology.
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• When did the individual die?
• Pinpointing time of death is critical evidence
  for crime scene investigators. Methods vary
  depending on whether the remains are prehistoric,
  historic, or recent. For recent remains,
  techniques vary based on the condition of the
  remains fresh, decomposed, mummified, or
  skeletalized. Procedures include analysis using
  chemical tests, entomology, and investigation of
  context / associated artifacts.
• Who is the individual?
• Remains are often delivered with no idea as to
  their identity. Discovery of sex, age, ancestry,
  height, and individuating characteristics are
  used to help determine identity. 
•  
• What was the manner of death?
• Detailed investigation as to the exact cause of
  death often answers many other questions. For
  decomposed remains, more common methods involve
  the analysis of skeletal trauma and bone
  fracture. 
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• What happened to the individual after death?
• Remains can be altered by humans attempting to
  destroy evidence, animals, insects and many other
  factors.

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THE DEAD CAN TALK

• The identification of the dead is most
  important. 
• The first step in a homicide investigation is to
  identify the victim. 
• This concerns relatives of the deceased
  judicial authorities who need to know about
  someones death to process wills, estate
  settlements, and so forth. 

Detail from Cheselden, 1741
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Who are the Unidentified?

• Any unidentified body/remains as a result of
• Homicide
• Accident in remote area
• Suicide
• Genocide
• Mass disaster
• MIA war dead

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Why is Identification Important?

• Locate a missing person
• Identify the cause manner of death
• Identify the perpetrator, if a homicide
• Prosecute the murderer in a court of law

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Not Just For Legal Matters

• Those who have disappeared leave behind loved
  ones wondering what happened Still alive?
  Dead? Where? Why?
• There is a sense of relief closure for families
  when the bodies of loved ones are found
• As well as empowerment through the process of
  funeral rights

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The Unidentified
A poster encourages relatives of Srebrenica
massacre victims to give a blood sample at the
International Commission on Missing Persons'
(ICMP) Podrinje Identification Project Center
2005, in Bosnia Herzegovina. (Photo by Marco Di
Lauro/Getty Images)
Unidentified remains of 7 Georgian soldiers
killed in the S. Ossetian conflict zone. Tbilisi,
2008.
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HISTORY OF F. A.

• Forensic Anthropology did not start out as a
  discipline, but rather the application of
  Anthropological theory methods to the legal
  process.
• It is not a discipline that one can graduate
  from, however, there has been much research in
  developing techniques and acquiring information
  to make the tasks more precise, informative and
  efficient

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Father of Forensic Anthropology

• Thomas Dwight (Harvard)-
• Wrote articles essays (from 1878) of the
  subject of identification from the human skeleton
• Also gave lectures on the subject
• He researched methods for
• determining age , height sex from the sternum
• Estimating stature without the long bones
• Determining age at death from the suture closures
• estimating sex from the long bone joints

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Formative Period Early 1800s-1938

• In the Beginnings
• First date for the use of skeletal information in
  a court of law
• 1850 Webster/Parkman Trial
• A Harvard Chemistry Professor was charged with
  killing Dr. Parkman, a missing physician
• 2 Harvard anatomists, Oliver Holmes Jeffries
  Wyman, were called in to examine the remains
  believed to be those of Dr. Parkman found in
  Websters residence
• The 2 testified the remains were indeed those of
  Dr. Parkman and Webster was hanged

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Leutgert Case of 1897 - Chicago

• Adolph Leutgert was accused of killing his wife,
  then placing her body in a vat of potash in his
  sausage factory
• The body dissolved leaving behind a greasy jelly,
  four small pieces of bone and Mrs. Leutgerts
  rings in the sausage-rendering vat
• Anthropologist George Dorsey was called upon to
  identify the bones.
• Dorsey was able to determine that the fragments
  were indeed human (and not pig) and were
  fragments of a hand, foot rib
• This evidence was added to other evidence the
  prosecution had and resulted in a murder
  conviction of Leutgert

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Human Identification

• Wilder Wentworth published a book (1932) on the
  aspect of human identification looking at
  dermatoglyphics the reproduction of the face
  from the skull
• This method is still used by forensic
  anthropologists today
• Paul Stevenson wrote articles (1920-50) on human
  skeletal identification,
• One on determining age from the epiphyseal union
  of the long bones
• Another on the stature of Chinese from long bone
  measurements
• The underlying theory of these methods is still
  used today

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• Several anthropologists worked on forensic cases
  involving human skeletal identification, however
  nothing was ever published (1920-40s)
• Include
• Alex Hrdlicka of the Smithsonian
• Earnest Hooton, Anthropology Professor at Harvard

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T. Wingate Todd

• Cleveland Physician Todd started what has become
  known as the Hamann-Todd collection of human
  skeletal remains (as well as non-human primate
  skeletons)
• Todd acquired about 2600 persons from 1912-1938
• What is so important of this collection is that
  the demographics of most of the individuals is
  know allowing for the development of standards
  for determining ancestry, sex, age stature

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Robert Terry Mildred Trotter

• In St. Louis, between 1914-1965 Terry Trotter
  (Terrys successor) collected 1636 human
  skeletons from dissecting cadavers
• For most of these cadavers the ancestry, age, sex
  stature was known
• The Terry Collection is housed in the
  Smithsonian and is still used for human skeletal
  research

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End of the Formative Period

• Ruxton murder case, Great Britian, 1930s
• Murder of 2 women Isabella Van Ess Mary
  Rogerson, Mrs. Van Esss personal maid
• Mrs. Van Esss husband was physician Buck Ruston
• The two women disappeared the same time foul
  odors were described coming from the Ruxton
  residence
• The decomposed, dismembered, mutilated bodies of
  2 persons were found from a gully in Scotland
• The 2 principal investigators, Glaister Brash
  (not anthropologists), reassembled the body parts
  placed them in positions similar to those of
  photographs of the 2 women when alive.
• The comparison of the antemortem postmortem
  images showed the similarity between the bodies
  the photographs of the 2 women.
• This was added to other evidence and Dr. Ruxton
  was found guilty of the 2 murders. He was hanged
  in 1936

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Consolidation Period 1939-1971

• Wilton M. Krogman published, in 1939
• Guide to Identification of Human Skeletal
  Material
• Was written fro the FBI summarized all that was
  known about the human skeleton
• In 1962 he expanded this work into
• The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine (2nd ed
  in 1986 with co-author M.Y. Iscan)
• This was the 1st work to be devoted to the
  applicatin of the study of human bone to forensics

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US War Dead During 1940s 50s

• WW II CILHI Central Identification Lab,
  Hawaii was created in order to deal with the
  bodies of killed servicemen in the Pacific
• Charles E. Snow was the 1st Director, then
  Mildred Trotter took over
• Trotter worked on improving ways of determining
  stature from long bone length using the
  servicemen skeletons records of their heights
• She established formulas that are still used
  today for determining stature

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Korean War, 1950s

• U.S. Army established an identification lab in
  Japan in efforts to identify killed servicemen.
• T. Dale Stewart was the director
• Under Stewart, McKern undertook a study of
  determining age from aspects of the servicemen
  skeletons
• They published, 1957
• Skeletal Age Changes in Young American Males
• This is still used today

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T. Dale Stewart

• Worked at the Smithsonian Institute
• In 1970 he edited
• Personal Identification in Mass Disasters
• In 1979 he wrote
• Essentials of Forensic Anthropology
• He also contributed to the development of the
  discipline by organizing seminars on skeletal
  identification
• In 1971 William Bass wrote
• Human Osteology A Laboratory Field Manual

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William M. Bass

• In 1971 wrote
• Human Osteology A Laboratory Field Manual

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Modern Period 1972 - Present

• This period began when Physical Anthropologist in
  the American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS)
  met for the first time in 1972
• This was organized by E.R. Kerley Cyde C. Snow
• In 1977 the American Board of Forensic
  Anthropology (ABFA) was created
• It was to ensure the competence of persons who
  practice forensic anthropology in the U.S.
  Canada
• The ABFA currently there are 62 Diplomates
  (board certified forensic anthropologists)
• The Physical Anthropology section of the AAFS has
  about 300 members

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Forensic Anthropology Data Bank

• Located at University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Started in 1986 continues today collecting info
  on documented forensic cases so that new standard
  for determining demographic other
  characteristics from the human skeleton can be
  continuously updated
• Why?
• Because it was realized that contemporary people
  were deviating from the norms established by the
  Terry Todd collections, as well as the WWII
  Korean War dead.

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Also at UT Knoxville

• The Body Farm at the Anthropology Research
  Facility was established by Bill Bass in 1981
• People donate their bodies to the farm (thus the
  demographics of the individuals are known)
• Decomposition is studied
• After the skeletons are removed and added to the
  Universitys skeletal collection
• There are at least 2 other body farms in the
  US Texas State University, San Marcos Western
  Carolina University, Cullowhee, N. Carolina

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OBJECTIVES OF F.A.

• Are the remains human?
• Important to be able to tell the difference
  between human and non-human skeletal remains
• Are the remains recent or historical/archaeologica
  l?
• Important if the recovery scene is to be deemed a
  crime scene
• Location recovery of the buried or surface
  remains
• Important to be familiar with archaeological
  field methods
• When did the person die is the location primary
  or secondary reburial?
• Important to be familiar with rates of
  decomposition taphonomic processes are there
  any skeletal parts missing to indicate a
  secondary burial?

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Objectives Continued

• Is it a single individual or several?
• Need to get an MNI (important to be at the
  recovery scene)
• Biological Profile ancestry, age, sex, stature,
  physique handedness
• Important in trying to find the identification of
  the individual(s)
• Identification is it possible from the skeletal
  traits/anomalies to get a positive ID?
• Look for signs of old disease injuries or
  surgeries, dental work, etc
• If signs of trauma are present, may be able to
  find cause manner of death?
• Manner natural accidental suicidal homicidal
  undetermined
• Cause disease or heart attack drowning
  hanging gunshot wound
• Look for signs of a struggle (broken bones) or
  gunshot wounds

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• A body is found that is only partially
  skeletonized. Under what circumstances would it
  be appropriate to call in a forensic
  anthropologist, and why?

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• Suppose that a forensic pathologist, in
  attendance when the body in above question is
  brought in, says that she could not perform an
  autopsy. Would it be appropriate now to call in
  a forensic anthropologist?

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• The skeleton of Jesse James has been examined on
  several occasions in the past to determine the
  aspects surrounding his death. Since little or
  no soft tissue ws left, a forensic anthropologist
  (Michael Finnegan) has done much of this
  analysis. Why do you suppose a forensic
  anthropologist, who is normally interested in
  bodies of medicolegal significance would get
  involved in such work?

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• In an attempt to determine whether they were
  victims of cannibalism, the skeletons of the
  companions of explorer Alferd Packer, the
  Colorado cannibal, were examined by a team of
  forensic anthropologists. Why was it more
  appropriate for this work to be done by these
  specialist as opposed to a forensic pathologist?

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• Detail from a copperplate engraving with etching
  byGovard Bidloo (anatomist), and Gérard de
  Lairesse (artist), Amsterdam, 1690. National
  Library of Medicine