NCJ Number
226545
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 54 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2009 Pages: 255-262
Date Published
March 2009
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper describes a new method for estimating chronological age from seven developmental and degenerative changes in morphological features of the human sacrum (the thick, triangular bone located near the lower end of the spinal column).
Abstract
This study clearly shows that the sacrum can be used to make forensically significant estimates of age at death. The method uses seven developmental and degenerative traits that are assessed with presence-absence scoring. Scoring traits on a presence-absence basis rather than the assessment of multiple character states significantly increased the correlation of chronological assessments to age. By presenting both one and two standard deviation ranges of error, the method is useful in both bioarchaeological and forensic anthropological settings. This method is similar to other forensic-based age-estimation methods in that it is best suited for inclusion with multiple age marker methods and not as a stand-alone technique. The development of this new aging method involved a sample of 384 paired ilia and sacra from the Hamann-Todd collection, ranging in age from 10 to 96, together with 249 specimens from the W. M. Bass collection. The construction of the age-determination method involved multiple stages of trait identification, character-state definition, and age correlation; rank-order phase development; and percent-correct sample testing with phase and sample aggregation, all of which resulted in a six-phase component system for application to modern individuals. 8 figures, 3 tables, and 28 references