role of forensic anthropologist

Topic of presentation

Role of forensic Anthropologist

presentersMaliha Izzet 6063Aemon hassan 6073Zuneera Aftab 6075Ramla laraib 6081Mateen Fatima 6090

Forensic anthropology

Definition The application of the science of physical anthropology to the legal process. Forensic anthropology includes the identification of skeletal, decomposed, or unidentified human remains.

History of forensic anthropologyEarly 1800′s to 1938 the

Formative PeriodThomas Dwight (1843-1911) is

credited with being the Father of Forensic Anthropology in the United States.

He was the first to write articles and essays and give lectures on human skeletal identification, the original designation of forensic anthropology.

Conti…He researched methods for

determining age, height, and sex from the sternum, establishing stature without using bones of the arms and legs.

Sex determined from joints of long bones identifying unknown individuals is a key part of forensic anthropology.

Conti..helping identify human remains,

the anthropologist analyzes injuries that happened around the time of a person's death, which can help determine how a person died.

Role of forensic anthropologistThe role a Forensic

Anthropologist plays in a death investigations 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.

Conti…The main focus of 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.

Because there are so many elements to examine when a body is found, there are many different branches of forensics.

Conti… deontologists study dental

evidence, while entomologists study insect evidence.

Different types of forensic specialists often work together, like when an deontologist helps to study a skull to determine the approximate age of human remains.

Duties of forensic anthropologistIt involves many duties and there

is numerous skill sets needed in order to succeed in forensic anthropology.

The first thing the examining anthropologist must determine is whether or not the material is bone.

Conti…A surprising number of other

materials may be mistaken for bone on first glance, especially if they are covered with dirt or other substances.

To ensure the material is bone, the anthropologist cleans the object and examines it closely, under magnification if necessary.

Conti…Once the anthropologist is sure

that the material is bone, they must determine whether it came from a human or a non-human animal.

By examining the size, shape, and structure of a bone, an anthropologist can determine if it is human.

Bone CompletionOnce a case involves human

bone, the investigator must identify which bones (or "elements") are present and which are absent.

Most anthropologists start this process by placing the elements out on a table as they would be organized in a living person, known as the anatomical position.

Conti…First, it creates an informal visual

inventory that allows any missing elements to be identified quickly.

It also allows the analyst to work systematically through the entire skeleton, performing a detailed inventory and examining each bone for trauma, pathology, or life history traits.

Conti..Lastly, after examining each

bone, the analyst can consider the skeleton as a whole, and look for inconsistencies among elements or patterning of trauma across multiple elements.

Represented peopleTo establishing which elements

are present, anthropologists must determine the number of individuals involved.

Investigators also consider the condition and size of the bones. If the elements do not "match", it could suggest more than one individual.

Conti…

When the remains of two or more individuals are mixed together, this is called "comingling".

It is the anthropologist's job to address the comingling and determine which individuals are represented by which bones.

Modern or ancient remainsAnthropologists can often tell the

difference between an ancient and modern skeleton by the context of deposition.

This includes the location, position, and condition of the body, and gives clues to the events which led to its burial. 

Conti…Associated material evidence can

also suggest the origin of a set of remains. 

Remains found with modern clothing, a mobile phone or mp3 player in the pocket, and modern dental work are those of a person who died very recently.

Developing Biological Profile

Anthropologists contribute to the identification of unknown individuals by developing a biological profile age, sex, stature, and ancestry.

the biological profile includes information that may be particular to that person and no one else, such as diseases or injuries which may impact the bone.

Gender

The first step in developing a biological profile is to determine gender.

Sex is the biological aspect of an individual, determined by genes, and expressed through primary (e.g. reproductive organs and hormones) and secondary (e.g. musculature, body hair, etc) sexual characteristics.

AgeEstimating a person's age at the

time of death depends on two fundamental life processes: growth and decline.

Growth and developmental changes are based largely on the degree and location of bone growth and dental formation and eruption from the gums in immature individuals.

Conti…At birth, our "bones" are mostly

soft cartilage. As we grow, this cartilage is replaced by hard bone at different centers of growth.

There are over 300 centers of bone growth in infants which eventually fuse to form the 206 bones in the adult body.

Conti…Since the centers grow and fuse

at known rates, anthropologists can use the pattern to estimate age in children and sub adult.

Similarly, teeth develop and erupt in a specific sequence at specific times during childhood and this timing can also be used to provide an accurate estimate of age in juveniles.

Ancestry

Anthropologists also attempt to identifies ancestry as part of a biological profile.

To assess ancestry, anthropologists look for skeletal features that tend to be more common in some populations than others.

Conti… They cannot determine skin or

eye color, but they may be able to place an individual into one of three broad geographic categories: European, African, or Asian.

statureEstimating living stature can also

help identify an unknown individual.

Because there is a close relationship between limb length and height, anthropologists can measure the arm or leg bones, and put the measurements into a mathematical formula that accounts for variation by sex and ancestry group.

Conti…

The formula then produces a height range, which can be used to exclude individuals that fall outside those limits.

Conti…Forensic anthropologists are also

trained to examine evidence regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of an individual.

This involves analyzing skeletal trauma and differentiating between injuries caused by bullets, sharp objects, blunt objects, or other instruments.

Conti… Sharp force trauma results when

a narrow or pointed object hits a very small area. 

The stabs, slashes, and cuts typical of sharp force often penetrate deep enough to leave cut marks on the bone.

Multiple, severe blunt injuries over the whole body may suggest a fall from a great height or a car accident. 

DecompositionAside from establishing the

identity of the victim, a major duty of the forensic anthropologist is the estimation of time since death.

The condition of the bones and the amount of flesh remaining, which are dependent on the likes of time, exposure, and temperature. 

Conti…The stages of decomposition can

be defined as the fresh stage, the putrefaction stage, the black putrefaction stage, the butyric fermentation stage, and finally the dry stage.

The fresh stage of decomposition lasts for about three days after death.

Facial reconstructionForensic facial reconstruction is

the method of reconstructing the living face of an individual from skeletal remains to aid identification.

Initially, the skull is cleaned of any remaining tissue in preparation for the reconstruction.

Conti…A number of round, rubber

markers are placed at specific points on the skull.

These landmarks are used to indicate the depth of flesh in these locations, their depth being dependent on the likes of sex, age, race, and the presumed weight of the individual.

Determining Cause of Death

Another aspect of forensic anthropology is determining the cause of death.

Forensic anthropologists can often determine, by studying marks and features of the present teeth and bones, what types of trauma those remains went through.

This trauma could be due to violence, disease or decay.

This information can help police officers build a case or close a case, depending upon the information the forensic anthropologist provides.

Studying Cultures and Social Institutions

anthropologists often plan and execute research with the goal of characterizing and comparing differences between cultural groups, communities and organizations.

These differences might include economic differences, health care, social differences, political differences, linguistic differences, the difference in religious institutions and more.

Training Others

Many forensic anthropologists will need to train others in using ethnographic research methods to answer questions and solve problems in organizational effectiveness, communications, the development of certain technologies, making policies and certain types of program planning.

Conti…This requires forensic

anthropologists to have skill sets like communication, creating teaching methods and procedures to help others learn easily or quickly and public speaking for seminars or workshops.

Collections

Some forensic anthropologists contribute to massive research collections of human skeletal remains.

Collections like the Hamann-Todd Collection, the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection and the Terry Collection are some of the most important in the US.

Conti… For situations like this, the

forensic anthropologist will typically work with a team of different investigators, pathologists and forensic professionals

Testifying

In some cases, the forensic anthropologist who has helped work on a specific case may need to testify in a court of law as an expert.

This may be needed when prosecutors are attempting to bring individuals to justice in the case of a homicide or other situation

Conti…the forensic anthropologist will

need to be well spoken, organized in thoughts and speech and able to convey complex processes or tests in easy-to-understand terms.

There are many duties and responsibilities of a forensic anthropologist, and for some people, this is the perfect chance to combine interests and a career

Report writing

A forensic report explains what an investigator did, how they did it and what they think the evidence shows.  

A forensic investigator's report is especially important because it must be able to explain the results of the investigation to a judge and possibly a jury who would not be able to attend a crime scene and observe an investigation first-hand.

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.

Conti…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.

Conti…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.