Chapter 11: Forensic Identity

Identity

Identity

the recognition of the individuality of a person, live or dead.

Identification of the Living

usually done by the police and is essential in both civil as well as criminal cases.

Identification of the Dead

often of paramount importance in criminal or suspicious death investigation.

Pedigree

a method of establishing identity of the criminal involved in a crime in a police station.

Complete / Absolute Identity

Here the exact fixation of individuality of the person, alive or dead, is possible.

Partial / Incomplete Identity

Here the exact fixation of individuality is not possible, but identity to the extent of certain facts about the person is only possible.

Legal Identity

Here the exact fixation of the individuality is impossible, because he or she has been unknown to the people around.

Corpus Delicti

The facts of any pre-defined criminal offense.

Haase’s Rule

This enables the estimation of the age of the foetus in lunar months from the crown-heel length (in cm) of the foetus.

Intrauterine Life

IUL

Deciduous dentition

Teeth present during early part of life.

Permanent dentition

Teeth present during life, which begin to erupt from the sixth year of age and remain throughout the life.

Succession teeth

Among these, 4 incisors and 2 canines and 4 premolars are called as ______.

Superadded teeth

The remaining 6 permanent molars erupt independently, without any predecessor teeth. These 6 molars are called _______.

Attrition

wearing off the teeth on the grinding surface begins in the molars after middle age.

Gustafson

_______ described a method wherein various criteria of normal physiological changes in a tooth other than dental eruption order are considered in determining the age of a person.

Periodontosis

Retraction of gum margin and loosening of the tooth.`

Secondary dentin

Seen within pulp cavity, due to aging/reaction to caries and periodontosis.

Cementum apposition

At and around the root of tooth.

Root resorption

Involves both cementum and dentin.

Root transparency

It is best seen on groun section of tooth.

calvaria

Bones of the ______ are 8 in number, and they are: 2 parietal, one frontal, 2 temporal, one occipital, one sphenoid, and one ethmoid.

Face and jaws

Bones of the________ are 14 in number: 2 maxilla, 2 zygoma, 2 nasal, 2 lacrimal, 2 palatine, 2 inferior nasal concha, one mandible and one vomer.

Lateral and occipital fontanelle

Usually close within the first two months of birth.

anterior fontanella

The _______ along with two halves of mandible closes at the second year.

condylar portion

The ______ of occipital bone fuses with the squama at the third year and with the basi-occipital at the fifth year.

metopism

The metopic suture closes at about the third year, but in 5-10 per cent cases it persists and the condition is called ______.

18-21

The basi-occipit fuses with the basi-sphenoid at about ____ years.

5-10

In the vault of the skull, closure of the sutures begins on the inner side _____ years earlier than on the outer side.

25

The coronal, sagittal, and lambdoid sutures start to close on their inner side at the age of about ____ years.

30-40

Posterior one-third of sagittal suture at about ____ years

40-50

Anterior one-third of the sagittal and lower half of the coronal at about ____ year.

50- 60

Middle sagittal and upper half of coronal at about ____ years.

Suture closure in skull

______ occurs later in females than in males.

lateral head X-ray film

A ________ is preferable for the study of coronal and lambdoid sutures.

lapsed union

Ectocranial suture closure is very variable. Sometimes, there may not be ectocranial suture closure. This is called _______.

206

Human skeleton is comprised of ____ bones.

Sacrum

It becomes a single bone at 21-25 years of age, leaving a gap between S1 and S2, until 32 years due to ‘lapsed union’.

Vertebrae

The feature increases in prominence up to the age of ten, and then gradually fades between 21 and 25 years.

Pubic hair

Hair that appear at the age of about 13 years in female and at the age of 14 years in male. They are sparse, soft and light in colour initially and later on turn thick, bushy and dark within 2 years of appearance with the onset of puberty.

Axillary hair

Hair that appear at the age of about 14 years in female and at the age of 15 years in male.

Facial Hair

They appear only in male by 16 to 18 years.

Breasts

Begin to appear by 13 to 14 years in females only.

Voice

It become hoarse in males by 16 to 18 years.

Scalp hair

Begins to turn gray by 40 years. Also becomes less dense as the age advances.

Arcus senilis

This is a whitish ring that makes its appearance in the periphery of the cornea of the eyes due to the degenerative changes and begins at about the age of 40 years, is a normal process of aging.

embryo

On 7th day of fertilization, ovum getting impregnated in the uterus, is called an _____.

pregnant

On 7th day of fertilization , ovum getting impregnated in the uterus and the woman is said to be _____.

Fetus

From 2nd lunar month, embryo is termed as ___.

foeticide

The killing of a fetus.

viable child

After 7 calendar months of pregnancy, fetus is called as _____, as it can live independently if born

Infanticide

Killing of viable child.

full-term foetus

Fetus after 10 lunar months of pregnancy is called a _____.

Medical termination of pregnancy induction

A decision by one doctor is allowed up to 3 lunar months of pregnancy and beyond this period decision is always by two doctors.

still born

Fetus after 28 weeks of IUL shows no signs of life or any breathing is called ___.

Infanticide

deliberate and unlawful killing of a newborn or a child below the age of 1 year by the act of omission or commission is considered as infanticide.

Marriage

Any matrimonial alliance entered into by a boy below 21 years and girl below 18 years will be invalid.

Rape

Sexual intercourse with a girl below 16 years, even with her consent, legally constitutes ______.

consent

A child below 12 years cannot give ______ for physical examination and the valid is to be given by the parents/guardian.

Physical Examinations

This includes traits establishing sex identity of an individual.

Gonadal biopsy

a confirmatory method of determining sexual identity histologically.

sex chromosome

A chromosome that determines whether an individual is male or female represents ______.

23 pairs

In humans the sex chromosomes comprise just one pair of the total of ______ of chromosomes.

autosomes

The other 22 pairs of chromosomes are called _____.

Barr Body

The inactive X-chromosome in the somatic cells of mammalian females.

Costal Cartilage Calcification Pattern

In this methodology radiological appearance of the calcification pattern of costal cartilage (5-12th rib) is considered in determining the sex in age group 16 to 20 years.

Footprint Ratio

This is the ratio between maximum width (MW) and maximum length (ML) of the footprint in millimeters and is reported to be useful in establishing sexual identity of a person alive or dead.

Mandibular canine index

a ratio of maximum width of the permanent mandibular canine (mesiodistal crown width) to arch width.

Cytogenetics and DNA Analysis

powerful tool in sexing which can replace all older techniques in future.

Concealed Sex

Criminals may try to conceal their sex to avoid detection by Police by changing dress and other means.

Intersex

intermingling of sexual characteristics of either sex in one individual to a varying degree, including the physical form, reproductive organs and sex behavior.

Gonadal agenesis

The testes and ovary have never developed. Nuclear sex is negative.

Gonadal dysgenesis

The external sexual structures are present, but at puberty the testes/ovaries fail to develop

Klinefelter’s syndrome

Anatomically malebut nuclear sex is female. Sex chromosome pattern is XXY.

Turner’s syndrome

Anatomically female, but the nuclear sex is male. Sex chromosome pattern XO.

True hermaphrodites

This is a condition of bisexuality. Here both ovary and testis (ovotestis) with external genitalia of both sexes exist in one individual.

Bilateral true hermaphroditism

There is a testis and an ovary (ovotestis) on each side.

Unilateral true hermaphroditism

There is a testis and an ovary (ovotestis) on one side and either a testis/an ovary on the other side.

Alternating true hermaphroditism

There is testis on one side and the ovary on the other side.

Female pseudohermaphroditism

It has male external features, but internally has the female gonads.

Male pseudohermaphroditism

It has female external features, but internally has the male gonads.

Osteometry

______ in anthropological sciences comprise of measurements of different bones in the body, assessing its proportionalities to each other and multivariate discriminate functional analysis.

Cephalic index

the ratio between breadth and length of the skull.

dhoti and kurta

A typical Hindu male will wear ______ as traditional dress.

Brahmins

Among the Hindus, in certain community namely _______ will have a total shaved scalp except a tuft of hairs grown long on the occipital protuberance region.

sari and choli

A typical Hindu female will wear a _______, etc.

pyjama and salwar

A typical Muslim male will wear _________.

shalwar and kameez

A typical Muslim female will wear a _______, etc. with a black gown covering completely, hiding the person from head to toes, except over eyes.

Burkha

Black gown a typical Muslim female wear covering completely, hiding the person from head to toes, except over eyes.

Criminal identification

_________ by means of fingerprints is one of the most potent factors in apprehending fugitives who might otherwise escape arrest and continue their criminal activities indefinitely.

Criminal identification

This type of identification also makes possible an accurate determination of the number of previous arrests and convictions which results in the imposition of more equitable sentences by the judiciary.

Fingerprint identification

the method of identification using the impressions made by the minute ridge formations or patterns found on the finger-tips.

friction skin

The ________ of the palms and soles differs significantly from the skin covering the rest of the body.

Central pocket loop

Here, surrounding the central circular/ oval ridge, there are other ridges which take a loop like course.

Type line

In loops and whorls, the ridges in the middle/ main part are surrounded by divergent ridges.

Delta

In loops and whorls, the point of the outermost ridges nearest to the damaged type line.

Core

In loops and whorls, the apparent central point of the ridge pattern.

Plain finger-print

_______ by just pressing the inked ball of the finger on the paper.

Rolled finger-print

_______ by pressing the inked finger ball, roll it from one side to the other side of the finger.

Epidermal ridges

_______ in the skin of palms and soles are developed as early as the 4th month of IUL.