NCJ Number
103038
Editor(s)
K J Reichs
Date Published
1986
Length
360 pages
Annotation
Sixteen chapters examine the methods and problems in the identification of human remains by forensic osteologists. Field and laboratory analyses and reporting are covered.
Abstract
Two chapters examine homicide crime scene investigation. The first describes methods for exhumation and documenting evidence. The second illustrates a number of socioculturally and geographically related problems encountered in death investigations in the South and Southeast. Subsequent chapters discuss various metric and statistical approaches for determining victim age, race, and sex. These include bone (e.g., pubic bone, sternum, femur, and tibia) analysis and dental analysis. Special considerations in the forensic analysis of fetal and neonatal remains also are covered, and skeletal pathology is considered in terms of its implications for ancestry and age. Photographic reconstruction and facial reproduction methods for victim identification also are described. Finally, two chapters examine the use of computers in performing statistical (discriminant function) analyses and report writing. Chapter references and index.