Volume 3 • Issue 6 • 1000154
J Forensic Res
ISSN: 2157-7145 JFR, an open access journal
Rapid Communication Open Access
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Stanojevich, J Forensic Res 2012, 3:6
http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2157-7145.1000154
The Role of a Forensic Anthropologist in a Death Investigation
Vanessa Stanojevich*
University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Canada
*Corresponding author: Vanessa Stanojevich, University of Ontario Institute of
Technology, Canada, E-mail: vanessastanojevich@hotmail.com
Received May 02, 2012; Accepted June 16, 2012; Published June 18, 2012
Citation: Stanojevich V (2012) The Role of a Forensic Anthropologist in a Death
Investigation. J Forensic Res 3:154. doi:10.4172/2157-7145.1000154
Copyright: © 2012 Stanojevich V. This is an open-access article distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and
source are credited.
Introduction
The role a Forensic Anthropologist plays in a death investigation
is crucial to the field of forensic science as a whole. Forensic
Anthropologists understand the forms and variations of various
forms of skeletal properties, and apply their knowledge to their
work in order to obtain reasonable conclusions. The main focus of
a Forensic Anthropologist is to process crime scenes, examine and
process remains, develop a biological profile, compile appropriate
documentation, and testify in the provincial and federal courts. Their
knowledge of the human body contributes to the outcome of a death
investigation by providing law enforcement agencies with expert
answers and conclusions, which ultimately aids in the outcome of any
given case.
Scene Processing
Forensic Anthropologists contribute to scene processing and the
location of buried remains by providing law enforcement agencies
their expert advice during an investigation. When a Forensic
Anthropologist is called to the scene, there are several roles the
specialist must accomplish. Firstly, the anthropologist must conduct
“on-site identification of scattered remains as they are found to
determine whether they are human” [1]. This detection allows the
anthropologist to then proceed with “[revisions] of the search strategy
in response to emerging anatomical scatter patterns, as well as [inform]
the search team when the remains are complete and [when] the search
can be discontinued” [1]. Any crime scene is delicate in nature, and
the likelihood of contamination is continuously an issue.This is
primarily due tothe “destruction of the remains by the perpetrator,
animals, or time/ [which] makes identification of the subject difficult,
if not impossible” [2]. In order to preserve the scene, grids are placed
around the crime area. Following this, an anthropologist will set up a
screening area where “material from the grave and surrounding area
will be systematically sifted through a screen to reveal human remains,
artefacts, fibres, and associated insects [1]. Finally, the anthropologist
will set up a staging area for excavation; this includes the screening
of various plants, earth materials, metals, and sediment [1]. Although
scenes are not processed solely by a Forensic Anthropologist, this expert
contributes to the discovery and preservation of human remains.
Remains Examination
Forensic Anthropologists must be able to differentiate between
human and nonhuman remains, and also have the ability to perform
a taphonomic assessment and a soft tissue examination is order to
process and inspect remains effectively. When an anthropologist
is required to examine remains, the scientist must be able to
“differentiate bone from non-bone material/ then differentiate human
bone from nonhuman bone” based on the evidence presented [3].
Once the expert has determined if the bones are in fact fragments of
a human body, they must then perform a taphonomic assessment.
In Forensic Anthropology, “taphonomic consideration has come to
mean interpretation of all events affecting the remains between death
and discovery,” which is determined by using applications such as
“estimation of post-mortem interval, environmental reconstruction,
reconstruction of post-mortem events, and distinguishing evidence
of foul play from alterations caused by other taphonomic factors” [4].
Forensic Anthropologists also examine “soft tissue changes, including
decomposition rates and patterns, disarticulation, dispersion of
body parts, and modification of both soft tissue and bone” in order
to establish a proper assessment of the remains at hand [5]. The
distinction between human and nonhuman remains, followed by the
taphonomic assessment and soft tissue examination performed by the
Forensic Anthropologist helps this specialist to determine whether or
not the materials acquired are of importance in the investigation.
Developing a Biological Profile
Forensic Anthropologists offer unknown deceased individuals an
identity by developing a biological profile to portray their physical
characteristics. There are various contributing factors that help these
professionals establish an individual’s age, sex, and stature. When a
Forensic Anthropologist must determine an entity’s age, they must
first apply their knowledge of skeletal and dental development to their
conclusions. Firstly, ossification centers in bones help determine age
in individuals. These developments “are patterned, depending on age,
sex, bone element involved, nutritional and hormonal status, and
individual variation” [1]. Following this, ascertaining age also depends
on the dental development of the subject. Forensic Anthropologists
apply “odontological identification of the individual based on the dental
record and support radiographs,” which assists them in establishing
the age range of the individual [6]. If an anthropologist were to be
perplexed by the evidence at hand, there are radiographic studies of
living individuals that are offered to these specialists for references
[1]. When a forensic expert must determine the biological sex of a
subject, “the hip bones exhibit the most sexually dimorphic elements
of the skeleton,” making it a crucial element in determining the sex.
Anthropologists can determine the difference between male and
female pelvises, primarily due to “the discrete sex-specific differences
in size and shape” [7]. Given this, the pelvis bone under examination
by these specialists grants an excellent opportunity to determine the
biological sex of the subject. When a Forensic Anthropologist must
establish the living stature of a subject, there are many formulas that
they can use. Despite this, the “most reliable results are based on long
bone lengths and particularly the bones of the lower limbs,” or more
commonly referred to as the use of allometry [8]. The various different
applications of knowledge that anthropologists apply into their work
aid in ascertaining a subject’s age, biological sex, and stature which
eventually generates a biological profile for a previously unknown
individual. Volume 3 • Issue 6 • 1000154
J Forensic Res
ISSN: 2157-7145 JFR, an open access journal
Citation: Stanojevich V (2012) The Role of a Forensic Anthropologist in a Death Investigation. J Forensic Res 3:154. doi:10.4172/2157-7145.1000154
Page 2 of 2
Cause of Death
The evidence that a Forensic Anthropologist presents to a coroner
or medical examiner is crucial in understanding and determining
the cause of death in an investigation. Forensic Anthropologists
“commonly classify traumatic events as resulting from sharp forces,
gunshot or blunt forces”. Blunt force damage “produces impact marks
or fractures, and can fragment bone,” which can ultimately determine
shape, trauma type, or weapon class [1]. When an anthropologist
investigates a gunshot wound, they will “reconstruct a skull shattered
by gunshot in order to evaluate the injuries” [1]. These evaluations
help the forensic specialist to determine the entrance and exit wounds,
as well as how many shots were fired. Blunt and sharp force damage,
as well as gunshot wounds “[generate] unique skeletal attributes that
are usually readily identifiable in unmodified remains”. These injuries
ultimately aid the Forensic Anthropologist in providing the coroner or
medical examiner with information necessary to determine the cause
of death, based on damages to the bones.
Documentation and Eyewitness Testimony
A Forensic Anthropologist may be considered an expert in his or
her field of study. These forensic specialists, and various other forensic
scientists, are expected to document all procedures with the utmost
precision. Anthropologists must include a “full range of anthropological
measurements and determinations,” also taphonomic assessments,
biological profiles, individualization of characteristics, and evidence
of perimortem trauma [1]. If a Forensic Anthropologists is “involved
in [a] criminal investigation, which may ultimately be dealt with in a
court of law, the impact of their work can carry serious consequences
with regard to the outcome of a case” [9]. It is crucial that the specialist
testifying remains scientifically neutral during the hearing. This is
primarily due to the fact that they “shoulder a considerable amount of
responsibility, not only to the legal community, but also to the victim
and the accused within the crime in question” [9]. Documentation and
eyewitness testimony is required of most forensic scientists, as it helps
the overall outcome of a death investigation by providing the legal
system with a scientific explanation of evidence.
Conclusion
Forensic Anthropologists play an important role in establishing
the cause of death in an investigation. These individuals work together
in order to draw conclusions from evidence, primarily by applying
their knowledge of the human skeleton to a case or subject at hand.
The main focus of a Forensic Anthropologist is to process the crime
scene, examine and process remains, create a biological profile, provide
appropriate documentation of their findings, and testify in the court of
law. Their knowledge of the human body contributes to the outcome
of a death investigation by providing law enforcement agencies with
expert answers and conclusions, which ultimately aids in the outcome
of any given case.
References
1. James SH, Nordby JJ (2009) Forensic Anthropology. Forensic Science: An
Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques. (3rd Edn), CRC Press,
Boca Raton, Fla. 101-135.
2. Pickering R, Bachman D (2009) The Use of Forensic Anthropology (2nd Edn),
CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.
3. Dupras TL (2012) Forensic Recovery of Human Remains: Archaeological
Approaches (2nd Edn), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.
4. Ubelaker DH (1996) Taphonomic Applications in Forensic Anthropology.
Taphonomic Applications in Forensic Anthropology.
5. Haglund WD, Sorg MH (1997) Forensic Taphonomy: the Postmortem Fate of
Human Remains. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.
6. Stimson PG (1997) Forensic Dentistry. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fla.
7. Schmitt A, Cunha E, Pinheiro J (2006) Forensic anthropology and medicine
complementary sciences from recovery to cause of death. Humana Press,
Totowa, NJ.
8. Pelin IC, Duyar I (2003) Estimating Stature from Tibia Length: A Comparison of
Methods. J Forensic Sci 48: 708-712.
9. Brickley M, Ferllini R (2007) Forensic Anthropology: Case Studies from Europe.
Charles C Thomas Publisher, Springfield, Ill.
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