Stature estimation

Stature

Estimation of the living height of an individual from skeletal remains

Stature is the _________ parameter to estimate of the biological profile

easiest

Best bones to use for stature estimation:

Long bones (femur, lower leg, arm bones.) Leg bones contribute to standing height

Multiple bones are _____ _________ than a single bone

more accurate

Types of stature:

Measured/biological stature, forensic stature, cadaver stature. any stature

MSTAT (Measured stature)

AKA biological stature—living stature including tissue and clothing, variable throughout the day

FSTAT (forensic stature)

Reported stature, can be wrong. ie. driver’s license height.

CSTAT (Cadaver stature)

usually measured supine, loss of tissue

ASTAT (any stature)

• Stature estimate regardless of the type of stature used

• Vague with lots of variation in definition

Stature intervals must be:

wide enough to include the individual, but narrow enough to still be helpful in ruling out other unknown individuals

Stature estimation approaches:

Full skeleton approach vs. regression approach

Full Skeleton Approach

• Estimates based on a regression equation that uses the sum of all bones that contribute to stature

• not very common since remains are often incomplete, but very precise with a narrow interval.

Regression Approach

• Based on correlation of body height and body segments (e.g. taller people have longer bones)

Best bones for regression approach:

long bones! femur, tibia, fibula, humerus, radius, ulna

The regression approach develops estimates based on

an individual’s measurements compared to reference populations (ie. FORDISC)

Population-specific stature estimation is helpful because

• Biocultural differences can create patterns within ancestry groups

• ancestry can help reduce error in your estimate (less variation to compare)

Fordisc (2005) and stature

Forensic and historic data to create stature equations based on linear regression model from known individuals

Wilson et al. 2010

Improved accuracy for Black individual stature estimation

Best practices for stature estimation (4)

• Only estimate stature from adult individuals*

• Use long bones whenever possible

• Use combination of arm and leg bones whenever possible

• Use population-specific equations when possible*