forensic science: fundamentals & investigations, … › cms › lib › ga01000314...forensic...

Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, 2e

Chapter 14 1 All rights Reserved

Cengage/NGL/South-Western © 2016


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Chapter 14 Forensic Anthropology By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

14.1 Summarize the information a forensic anthropologist derives from skeletal remains to construct a biological profile.

14.2 Distinguish among growth plates, bone caps, bone shafts, and sutures, and explain their significance for forensic anthropology.

14.3 Compare and contrast an adult’s skeleton and a child’s skeleton in terms of composition, number of bones, suture marks, and growth plates.

2


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved



14.4 Apply knowledge of bone growth (ossification) to estimate the age of the deceased at the time of death based on skeletal remains.

14.5 Apply appropriate formulas to estimate the height of a person based on individual bone length.

14.6 Distinguish between male and female skeletal remains based on the structure, the size and shape of the skull, the pelvis, and the long bones.

3


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved



14.7 Provide examples of different types of skeletal trauma due to disease, injuries, occupation, or environmental factors that can provide clues to the identification of skeletal remains.

14.8 Discuss the significance of isotopes in determining where someone lived.

14.9 Describe methods used to analyze skeletal remains, including radiology, computer imaging, DNA technology, video or photographic superimposition, and craniofacial reconstruction.

4


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


o biological profile

o diaphysis

o epiphysis

o forensic anthropology

o growth plate (epiphyseal plate)

5

Chapter 14

Vocabulary

o joints

o ossification

o osteoporosis

o skeletal trauma analysis


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Introduction

o Forensic anthropology uses skeletal anatomy to identify remains.

o After bones are identified as human, the shape, structure, condition, and measurements of the remains are recorded.

o Other means of identifying remains include:

• DNA extraction

• Serial numbers of implanted medical devices

6


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Introduction (continued)

7


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Historical Development

o In 1878, The Identification of the Human Skeleton: A Medicolegal Study was published.

o In 1895, the first known use of craniofacial superimposition was used to identify the remains composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

o In 1932, the FBI opened its first crime lab.

o In 1977, the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA) was established.

o In 2014, an anthropology subcommittee of OSAC was established to standardize recovery and analysis of human remains.

8


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Characteristics of Bone

o Bones:

• Provide the framework for our bodies

• Anchor our muscles to allow movement

• Protect our vital organs

9


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


How Bones Connect

o A joint is the location where bones meet.

• Cartilage

• Ligaments

• Tendons

10


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Number and Development of Bones

11

o A baby has 270 bones.

o Adults have 206 bones.

o For some bones, ossification takes more than 50 years.

All rights Reserved



Chapter 14 12


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Bones and Biological Profiles

13

o Bones contain a "diary” of injuries, disease, and nutritional deficiencies.

• Broken bones

• Osteoarthritis

• Osteoporosis

• Rickets

• Severe anemia

• Cancer


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


How to Distinguish Males from Females

o The overall appearance of the adult female’s skeleton tends to be more slender than that of an adult male’s skeleton.

o Muscles tend to be more developed in the male.

o The determination of sex by skeletal remains can only be done if the deceased is passed puberty.

14

All rights Reserved



Chapter 14 15

All rights Reserved



Chapter 14 16

All rights Reserved



Chapter 14 17


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Pelvis

18

o Examining the pelvis is one of the most reliable methods of determining the sex of an adult skeleton.

All rights Reserved



Chapter 14 20


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Pelvis (continued)

21

o To distinguish between the male and female pelvis, compare the following:

• Subpubic angle

• Length, width, shape, and angle of the sacrum

• Width of the ilieum

• Angle of the sciatic notch


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Bones and Geography

22

o Bones indicate were you have eaten your food.

• Strontium

• Carbon-13

• Carbon-12


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Estimating Age

23


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


Skeletal Trauma Analysis

29

o Skeletal trauma analysis is the process by which a forensic anthropologist attempts to distinguish between damage to bones made during life and damage to bones caused by the environment in organisms after death.

All rights Reserved



Chapter 14 31

Skeletal Analysis and Identification

o Comparative Radiography

o Nonimaged Records Comparison

o DNA Analysis

o Photographic or Video Superimposition

o Craniofacial Reconstruction


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


o Bone cells are alive and carry on the same functions as other body cells.

o Ossification is the formation of bone as calcium phosphate replaces cartilage.

o The condition and chemical analysis of bones provide clues to a person’s origin, health, nutrition, occupation, and activity level during his or her life.

o Adult male and adult female skeletons differ in many ways, including the roughness and thickness of bones, size and shape of the skull and pelvic bones, and the shape of the pelvic cavity.

32

Summary


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


o The age of a person at death can be estimated from the number of bones and teeth, skull suture marks, the presence or absence of growth plates, wear on bones and teeth, along with the observation of the surface of pubic and sternal rib bones.

o The height of a person can be estimated from the length of the long bones in the arms and legs using standardized formulas. (Estimates are most accurate when the sex and ancestry of the deceased are known.)

o Current methods to identify skeletal remains include nuclear DNA STR profiling; radiology: X-rays, CT, and MRI scanning; photographic facial superimposition; and facial reconstruction.

33

Summary (continued)


Chapter 14

All rights Reserved


o DNA extracted from bones is used to help establish individual identity using nuclear STR testing or to establish maternal ancestry using mitochondrial DNA. Familial ancestry through the paternal line can be traced through the Y chromosome.

o Skeletal trauma analysis examines the bones for evidence of damage, which may provide clues to the person’s identity and to the manner and cause of death.

o X-rays are used to reveal skeletal features, number of bones, conditions of bones, previous fractures, implants, disease, and disorders of the bone.

34

Summary (continued)

forensic science: fundamentals & investigations, … › cms › lib › ga01000314...forensic...

Documents