Forensic Anthropology Lecture Notes PDF

Forensic Anthropology LEC09 – Monday October 7th FRSC2030H Foundations in Forensic Science  LAB03 Forensic Anthropology Print before attending lab! Course Update Due dates Online Lab Assignment 1 Posted Read...

Forensic Anthropology LEC09 – Monday October 7th FRSC2030H Foundations in Forensic Science  LAB03 Forensic Anthropology Print before attending lab! Course Update Due dates Online Lab Assignment 1 Posted Reading Week (21st – 25th) Forensic Anthropology Definition Damage (beyond recognition) Decomp, burned, bone fragments, large scale disaster, war crimes, etc. Anthropology Study of humankind (Greek) 4 major subjects Archeology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology, sociocultural anthropology Forensic Anthropology “The application of anthropological methods and theory to matters of legal concern” Biological profile Skeletal Collections are used as for study and comparison History of Forensic Anthropology Thomas Dwight (1843-1911) Father of forensic anthropology The Identification of the Human Skeleton: A Medicolegal Study (1878) 1940s – 1970s WWII & Korean Wars Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Material (1939) The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine (1962) American Academy of Forensic Science (1972) American Board of Forensic Anthropology (1977) Essentials of Forensic Anthropology (1979) Legal & Political Context Intersection of biological anthropology, archeology, and law Legal and political changes Death investigation Unattended vs attended death Identification attempts Frye rule “general acceptance rule” Daubert standard scientific methods, peer reviewed, error rates, standards and acceptance PCAST & NAS reports Ethics in Forensic Anthropology Scientific integrity Truthfulness and personal accountability Unethical ≠ unlawful Guidelines Cultural respect Follow scientific methods Document and be transparent Avoid biases Maintain confidentiality and evidence integrity Standards and guidelines Skeletal Remains Legal determination Identification, cause of death, etc. Treat as evidence SOPs and Safety Chain of custody, PPE, storage, quality assurance Case documentation Notes, photographs, calculations, diagrams, etc. Photography from 6 views Skeletal Remains Reports & notes Detailed but with reader in mind Conclusions and limitations Strength or error (quantitative or qualitative) Testifying Rare but can happen Trauma, recovery, CSI, PMI Sex Determination Examination of sexual dimorphisms Phenotypic differences Morphological differences Ancestors display more dramatic differences Modern homo sapiens display ~15% larger males (France 1998; Ruff 2002) Longer, thicker, and more prominent muscle attachments Macroscopic and morphometric examination Population Affinity Estimation Assessing similarity to populations & groups Based on variation in groups and geographical regions Examination of phenotypic traits Morphoscopic traits Aggregating reference samples into 3 groups European, African, and Asian Sample problematic and inconsistent results Examples: Anterior nasal spine, mandible angle, 5th cusp molar Age Estimation Examination of skeletal changes Biological age attributed to chronological age Differentiations Subadult Skull formation Teeth growth & composition Adult Teeth (wisdom) Puberty Late adult Pelvis & ribs Disease or unique attributes Stature Estimation Metric analysis of skeletal elements Full skeleton the most accurate Regression methods Relationship between bone length & stature Examples: Height of cranium, vertebra heights, maximal femoral length, femoral bycondylar length, length of tibia, height of talus and calcaneus Inappropriate to average multiple methods Each associated with specific prediction intervals Stature can be erroneous! Trauma Examination Alteration Any change physical property of a bone Trauma Physical disruption of living tissue by outside forces Timing related to death Antemortem, perimortem, postmortem Recent development, difficult to formulate conclusions Most common for testifying in court Fractography can be applied to bone Examination between force & deformation Elastic vs plastic deformation Examples: Unloaded, tension, compression, shear, bending, torsion Research Studies Vehit & Christensen (2018) – Visual Pair Matching Matching bones from the same person 354 radiuses from skeletal collection Nutrient foramen position Examination of bilateral similarity Results: significant variation Case Study – Robert Pickton Pig farmer & Serial Killer 1995-2001 49 murders 1997-1999 Arrested, released, non-profit Feb 2002 Search warrant for illegal firearms results Anthropological Investigation Over 1.5 years, many remains, difficult to process Dec 2007 Convicted of 2nd degree murder (6 counts) Case Study – Adam Strong Sept 11th 2017 Torso Found in Oshawa Harbour Dec 29th 2017 Plumbers called to home in Oshawa to fix a clogged drain Flesh-like substance found in drain Police called, arrest eventually made Forensic Anthropologist examined remainder of remains for comparison Linked to second murder Mar 2021 convicted of first degree murder Case Study – Jeremy Skibicki 2015 - 2021 Assaults his wife March 2022 Kills first victim May 2022 Kills 3 more in 2 weeks June 2022 Investigator determine 2 remains may be in landfill December 2022 Charged with 1st degree murder