Analysis of Age-at-Death Estimation Through the Use of Pubic Symphyseal Data

• NCJ Number: 223381
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 53 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2008 Pages: 558-577
• Author(s): Erin H. Kimmerle Ph.D.; Lyle W. Konigsberg Ph.D.; Richard L. Jantz Ph.D.; Jose Pablo Baraybar M.Sc.
• Date Published: May 2008
• Length: 20 pages
• Grant Number(s): BCS-9727386
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether age-at-death parameters by means of the use of pubic symphyseal data were reliable for East European and American skeletal populations.

Abstract

Although no significant association was found between the aging process of pubic symphysis and the total population, there was a significant association among females and population. There are two possible explanations for this observed population variation. The consistent patterns observed for males and females throughout this investigation suggest these morphological and statistical differences may be attributed to such biological factors as diet and metabolism. The study shows that for males, there are no population differences. Among females, variation is present and may be attributed to extrinsic factors. A revised calibration for estimating age-at-death among both males and females offers the most accurate parameters. A reference sample of identified individuals with known ages-at-death from the regions of the Former Yugoslavia (n=861) was used to determine the age structure of victims and serves as the prior in the Bayesian analysis. Pubic symphyseal data in the manners of Todd and Suchey-Brooks were collected for 296 Balkan males and females and for 2,078 American males and females. An analysis of deviance was calculated with an improvement chi-square in order to test for population variation in the aging processes of American and East-European populations, using proportional odds probit regression. New age estimates for Balkan population are provided based on the calculated age distribution from the Gompertz-Makeham hazard analysis and the ages-of-transition. In order to estimate the age-at-death for an individual, the highest posterior density regions for each symphyseal phase are provided. 8 tables, 11 figures, 21 references, and appended atlas of morphological variation of the pubic symphyseal face as a function of age