Forensic Anthropology
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Transcript Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Anthropology
What is Forensic Anthropology
It
involves examining the human
remains (bones or decomposed
body) to identify the victim.
It also involves determining the
cause and/or time of death.
Identification of Humans
A
dead body is subjected to
both
–Autolysis or internal digestion
–Putrefaction or bacterial action
Condition
of a body found
depends on the time of death
and what elements it was
exposed to.
Identification Continued
One
week out in the open
–Exposed to rain, heat, cold, or
other conditions of the area
Two
weeks in water
–Submerged in the ocean, lake, or
other body of water
Eight
weeks buried in the
ground
Identifying Artifacts
Items
found near the body are
usually very helpful to investigators
Examples
–Jewelry with names, initials, or
dates
–Clothing (style, ragged or
designer )
–Any other artifacts such as a
wallet or identification card
Artifacts Continued
Corpse
Coverings/ Coffins are
good sources of evidence
– Wooden coffins contain tool markings
and indications of how and what
material was used to construct it
– Blankets and sheets may contain
biological information and tags from
manufacturer
– Plastic bags may have
fingerprints of the
perpetrator
Markings on the Corpse
Distinguishing
marks on the
corpse help identify bodies
easily
Examples
–Distinctive tattoos
–Birthmarks
–Surgical scars or other scars
Many
times these markings
make positive IDs
Wounds or Disease as Evidence
Scars
up to six months can be dated
by the amount of collagen that is
present
Hip
replacements, pacemakers, heart
valves and other devices have serial
numbers that can be used to track
which hospital they came from.
Skeletons
The
following can be determined
from intact bodies
–Age up to 5 years
can be determined
–Sex
–Race
–And height up to 1.5 inches
Skeletons
Most
times you only have a few
bones
The first question asked is “Are the
bones human?”
– Bumps
– Grooves
– Size and thickness
Even
these indicators make it hard
to identify if the bones are human
Determining Sex
Gender
specific changes in the
bones of a person do not occur
until puberty
The male skeletons overall size
and thickness is “most of the
time” much larger than the
female.
This however is not true for all
female and male skeletons.
Determining Sex
Three
bones’ thickness and radius
are used in adults to determine sex
–Humerus- upper arm bone
–Radius- lower arm bone on the
thumb side
–Femur- upper leg bone
Each of these are larger in males.
Determining Sex
The
pelvic bones of the male and
female are the most distinctive and
useful.
The woman’s pelvic bone is wider
for passage of children at child birth
Men’s pelvic bones are only made
for movement so they do not have
a wide passage
Determining Sex
The
sciatic notch is the place where
nerves pass on their way to the leg
This notch is wider for women to
accommodate childbirth than in
men
After childbirth a woman’s sciatic
notch may be scared or have
grooves because of the tearing of
ligaments
Use the male vs female pelvis to
visualize size difference.
Determining Sex
The
jaw bone in male and
females gives anthropologists
clues to sex
The male’s jaw bone is slightly
curved
The females are normally
straight
Determining the Age From
Bones
There
are six identifying parts and
properties of bones that are used to
identify the age of the victim from
the bones.
Teeth
–Children age 12 and younger will
have 20 baby teeth
–Children 12-18 will have 28 teeth
–Wisdom teeth normally come in
around 18 to make 32 teeth
Six Identifying Markers of Age
Skull
– As children develop from infants to
small children the pieces of their skull
fuses together.
– The amount of skull that has fused
together can be used to identify age
– This is not as useful as once believed
to be
Identifying Markers Continued
Long
Bones of the Legs and
Arms
– The bone’s growth plate remains
open in the long bones of the legs
and arms until growth is complete.
– This feature helps scientists to age
people that are younger
than 25 years old
Identifying Markers Continued
Pelvis
– There is a thin band of cartilage
uniting the left and right pubic bones
– This cartilage is called the symphysis
and its purpose is to absorb shock
when walking and to aid in child birth.
*See male vs female pevis picture
Identifying Markers Continued
Ribs
– Sternal Areas- areas where the ribs
meet the breast plate.
– When you are young they are
rounded
– As you age they are jagged and
sharp
– Forensic Anthropologists can narrow
ages within 1.5 years up to age 30
then within 5 years to age 70.
Identifying Markers Continued
Bone
Density
–Bone density is lost as you age
–Scientists can take X-Rays to
look at the density of bones to
determine age
–Osteoporosis and other diseases
must be taken into consideration
when determining age.
Determining Race
Determining race is very hard
With racial mixing it can make it almost
impossible
Three classifications for race
– Caucasoid
– Negroid
– Mongoloid
Determining Race
Caucasians
(White)
–High rounded
or square skulls
–Straight faces
–Narrow,
protruding noses
Determining Race
Negroid
(African-American)
–Lower and
narrower skulls
–Flatter noses
–Prominent,
protruding teeth
–Eye sockets are square
Determining Race
Mongoloid
(Asian)
–Broad Round Skulls
–Eye Sockets are round
–Wide Facial Dimensions
Determining Time of Death
There are three different forms when
dealing with time of death
– Estimated: The best guess as determined
by the medical examiner
– Legal: The time the body was discovered
or pronounced dead.
– Physiological: The time the person’s body
vitals actually ceased.
Changes To The Body After
Death
Temperature
Changes
Muscle Stiffening
Color Changes
Changes To The Body After
Death
Temperature
Changes
– Normal body temperature is 98.6 F
– After death the body drops in body
temperature about 1.5 degrees/hr
– This changes depending on the
environment temperature
Changes To The Body After
Death
Muscle
Stiffening
– Muscles stiffen after death because of
loss of ATP.
– Muscles stiffen more as putrefaction
begins
Changes To The Body After
Death
Muscle
Stiffening
– After two hours the small muscles of
the face and neck become stiff
– This process continues downward
– After 8 to 12 hours the contracting
process finishes.
– After 18 hours the process reverses
Changes To The Body After
Death
Muscle
Stiffening
– This is the least useful way to
determine time of death.
Changes To The Body After
Death
Color
Changes
– Color changes occur because of the
stagnant blood in the blood vessels
– Places where the body is lying on a
hard surface or tight clothing is
against the body will be discolored.
– Pale places mean that the person’s
blood was highly oxygenated; purple
the blood was poorly oxygenated.
Identification Continued
Acids are sometimes believed to help
decompose or disfigure the body.
Real facts about acids and corpses
– Quicklime (calcium oxide) when it
comes in contact with water
– CaO +H20
Ca(OH)2
(Slack Lime)
– This reaction and the heat kills
decomposing bacteria and
preserves the body
Identification Continued
Burning
a body is another way that
criminals feel they can get rid of the
body.
Real Facts about burning bodies
– The heat and time needed to
completely burn a body is around
1,500 F for two or more hours
– Structure fires typically burn about
500 to 2,000 F but don’t last long
enough