Forensic Anthropology Forensics pertaining to the local proceedings or formal debate Forensic anything simply means putting knowledge to use in a court of law photography accounting etc CSI Bones are very inaccurate CSI Effect o The perception of the near infallibility of forensic science in response to the tv shows They do not understand the limitations methods available so their expectations are too high In shows evidence is found and processed inside a week Reality DNA results take two months at least mDNA with only a handful of labs to process them and a large backlog results take some two years also the idea that one single agency let alone person processes all this evidence why didn t they dust the lawn for prints They do not understand the capacity for technological human error Makes jobs harder for both the defense and prosecution Traditionally forensic anthropology is a subfield of physical anthropology Anthropology is biocultural and holistic Field methods of archaeology are relevant to forensic anth the precision and obsessive meticulous methods of documentation Cultural anth methods relevant as they learn to interview interact with people without offending people Forensic anthropology o Deals with the analysis of skeletal decomposing or burned remains resulting from unexplained deaths o Try to extract info about the person their life leading to identity o Circumstances surrounding death how long they ve been dead trauma analysis o They use osteology taphonomy engineering principles Death Investigation o Two systems Coroner and Medical Examiner o Both systems are legally responsible for certifying unattended deaths unattended deaths being those that occur without a doctor present o Coroner Organized in England 12th century They were legal representatives of the king coronator crowner Last chance to collect taxes or confiscate property Eventually they investigated deaths through inquests Brought to America on the 1600 s They would investigate the facts of death but not confiscate property Today coroner is an elected position Does not need to be a doctor May or may not have death investigation training o Medical Examiner Originated in France or Scotland 16th century Required the opinion of a doctor in certain cases Medical examinations were required in violent deaths Brought to America in the late 1800 s Today medical examiner is an appointed official They are doctors Often have specialized training in forensics so pathologists o Cause of Death Refers to the reason a person died Heart disease cancer gunshot wound car crash o Manner of Death How the death came about Only 5 options Natural Homicide Suicide Accident Unknown o Mechanism of Death Physiological disruption that resulted in death brought about by the Cause of Death Exsanguination cessation of brain function o Example CoD Gunshot Wound Mech exsanguination Manner homicide Anthropologists have a PhD or MA they are academic not medical o They do not determine the cause of death mechanism or manner though their work may influence that judgement o They do skeletal analysis not autopsies o What about putrefaction remains Maceration the removal of soft tissue Goals of Forensic Anthropology how we contribute o Biological profile o Trauma analysis Age sex ancestry height Antemortem before death occurred shows evidence of healing helps with identifying Perimortem at or around the time of death helps determine CoD Postmortem after death o Time since death Postmortem interval PMI o Field Recovery o Identification Locating recovering remains Includes insects animals weathering Work with coroner odontologist radiologist etc DNA specialists o Other Considerations Ethical responsibility Courtroom testimony Horrific sights and smells Sensitivity respect History o Father of Forensic Anthropology Thomas Dwight anatomists not originally forensic anthropologists 1843 1911 One of the first anatomists to write papers and essay and give lectures on human identification Researched determining age sex and height o Formative Period 1800 s 1938 Little formal instruction or positions Minimal research Anatomists physical anthropologists consulting on cases Parkman murder o Parkman was killed and dismembered by Webster a man who owed him money o Use of skeletal remains to create a biological profile Luetgert Murder 1897 o 1st case an anthropologist testified in court Establishment of multiple anatomic collections Hamann Todd Collection Cleveland Museum Terry Collection Smithsonian Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Materials Written 1939 Wilton Krogman 1st official publication 1939 1071 o Consolidation Period Recognition of forensic anthropology by the government and medical community Army s Central Identification Lab JPAC CIL established to identify WWII and Korean War servicemen Explosion of research and publications on the human skeleton for estimation of biological profiles T Dale Stewart Mildred Trotter Thomas McKern o Modern Period 1972 present More formalized broadening the scope of work other subfileds human rights taphonomy Physical Anthropology section of the American Academy of Forensic Science 1972 American Board of Forensic Anthropology 1977 Formal degree programs Mostly at the MA level Mercy Hurst UT San Marco Chico State Forensic Anthropology Databank 1986 Accumulation of measurements on thousands of people around the world NAS Report 2009 Calls for standardization of Forensic Science practices Born with 400 bones which later fuse in 206 bones found in most Human Osteology adults Functions of bones o Protection o Support anchors muscles o Production and storage of blood cells o Storage for fat cells o Calcium reservoirs Dynamic living tissue can repair and reshape itself based on the individual s stresses during life Wolff s law bone is deposited where its needed and its reabsorbed where its not Law of Transformation of Bone not always good o Leprosy bone atrophy attacks nerves bone literally being absorbed Individualizing characteristics o Growth and development o Sex not gender XX XY o Geography adapt interact with environment o Life history individuals activity injuries weight bearing or Bone is strong but lightweight o When running forces 5x your body weight are exerted on illnesses your joints o Skeleton accounts for less than 20 of body weight o Composed of two materials Protein Mineral Mostly collagen Mostly hydroxyapatite The combination of the two gives bones its properties When one element is removed