forensic anthropology

Forensic Anthropology


• Generally speaking forensic anthropology is the examination of human skeletal remains to determine identity and present findings in courts of law.

What is Forensic Anthropology?

• Other duties of a Forensic Anthropologist: Assist in the recovery of bodies in mass disasters Experts in constructing facial features over a skull Superimpose a face on a skull using computer or digital camera Facial and body recognition of people in crowds

Case of Adolph Luetgert- Chicago’s “Sausage King” 1897

First U.S. case to involve an expert Forensic Anthropologist (George Dorsey- curator of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago

http://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/luetgert-adolph.htm




What questions could Forensic Anthropologists ask?

• Was this person male or female?

• How old were they when they died?

• How tall were they?

• Was the person in good health at the time of death?

• Was the person right handed or left handed?

• Are the bones human?


How do Forensic Anthropologist aide law enforcement?

• Through the established methods, a forensic anthropologist canaid law enforcement in establishing a profile on the unidentified remains.

• The profile includes sex, age, ethnicity, height, length of time since death, and sometimes the evaluation of trauma seen on bones.


Is the bone human?

• A human adult has 206 bones.

• Since many animal bones look similarto ours, often it takes an anthropologistto determine if the bones in question arehuman.


• Which is the human femur bone?

A CB D

Chimpanzee

Human T-RexGreat Dane


Was the person male or female?

One way to determine the sex is to examine the pelvis.

The sciatic notch is narrow.

The sciatic notch is wide. To allow for child birth.

Male

Female

It can even be determined how many natural births a woman has had!!!!

The interior of the pelvis is wider in women.


The skull is also useful in determining sex.

Male Female• Supraorbital Notch (eye socket):

softer in women.• Zygomatic Arch (above jaw):

prominent in men.• Mandible (jaw) :

square for men, soft for women.• Supercilary Arch (eye brow):

ridged in men.

Forensics Anthropology

How old was the person at time of death?

• Teeth – come in at common intervals.

• example: wisdom teeth.

• Fusion of epiphysis – femur and other long bones.

• Clavicle (20 – 30 yrs) – cartilage to bone.


• Pubic Symphysis – Throughout life, the surfaces of the pubic symphysis are worn at a more or less predictable rate. By examining the wear of the pubic symphysis, it is possible to estimate the age of the person at death


• Skull Sutures – Fusing of the skull over time.

child adult


Female tibia (cm) x 2.53 + 72.57 = height (cm)radius (cm) x 3.87 + 73.50 = height (cm)

Male tibia (cm) x 2.39 + 81.68 = height (cm)radius (cm) x 3.65 + 80.40 = height (cm)

How tall was the person?• By using bones we can get a rather accurate estimate of a person height.

• Example:

A 41.3 cm Caucasoid male tibia was found in a wooded area. How tall was the this person?

41.3 cm x 2.39 + 81.68 = 180 cm (5’-11”)


So, who was the person?

• DNA can be taken from bone cells and marrow.

• Dental records (odontology) can ID a person. As well asunique bite marks.

• Unique breaks and illnesses can be detected from skeletalremains.

• Occupation can be reasonable determined. Heavy labor causesbones to become larger.

• We can also determine if a person was right or left handed.


Are the bones from a crime?

• Look for bullet holes or fractures.

• Impressions from weapons are made in bones.

stone tool marks on animal bone


Facial Reconstruction

Copernicus

forensic anthropology

Documents