Forensic Identification Process

Personal Identification

• Definition of Identification: Refers to the process of establishing an individual's identity. Common forms of ID include government-issued identification such as driver's licenses.
• Importance in Forensics: Identification is crucial in investigations involving decedents (deceased persons).
  • Legal aspect necessitates identification for processing estates, including the need for death certificates in various situations.

Types of Identification

• Legal Identification: Includes death certificates, birth certificates which are essential for estate matters and closure for families.
• Medical Legal Authorities: Role of medical professionals, forensic pathologists, and anthropologists in identifying unknown decedents.
  • Most deaths don’t require a coroner’s examination, as family physicians often sign death certificates unless specific criteria are met.

Forensic Anthropology's Role

• Identification of Anatomy: Forensic anthropologists assess skeletal remains for identifying characteristics.
  • Experts can compare past medical records (e.g., X-rays) with found remains to establish identity.
• Identification Levels:
  • Tentative or Presumptive ID: Initial identification with uncertainty (e.g., ID found with body that may not belong to the individual).
  • Probable ID: Strong suspicion based on accumulated evidence, but still not definitive.
  • Positive ID: Certainty in identification, often requiring conclusive evidence and testing.

Identification Process in Investigations

1. Biological Profile Assessment: Includes factors such as:
   • Assigned sex at birth
   • Estimated age at death
   • Population affinity (ethnic background)
   • Stature/height
2. Individual Variations: Examining specific traits (e.g., unique dental characteristics from dental X-rays).
3. Exclusion Criteria: If evidence (such as medical records or dental features) does not match, individuals can be excluded from consideration.
4. Potential Matches: Assembling a list of potential identities based on biological profiles, anomalies, and characteristics found with remains.

Evidence Gathering Methods

• Fingerprinting: Most accepted method of identification requiring intact skin (soft tissue).
• Dental Records: Commonly used for identification due to the prevalence of dental X-rays.
• DNA Analysis:
  • Two types: Nuclear DNA (unique to individuals) and Mitochondrial DNA (inherited from the mother).
  • Requires reference samples for comparison, making it more complex and sometimes destructive.
• Radiographic Comparison: Use of X-rays to compare skeletal structures against medical records.

Issues with Forensic Identification Techniques

• Cranial Superimposition: Rarely used due to inaccuracy and cannot provide a positive ID, serves only as a possible exclusion method.
• Soft Tissue Reconstruction: Artistic methods to approximate an individual's face from skeletal remains.
  • High variability due to lack of certainty in features like hair color, facial hair, etc.

Case Study - Foot ID Example

• Unique features (e.g., specific traits on bones like sesamoid bone identification) can help establish matches even with limited remains.
  • Inconsistencies (shape variations, dental presence) help determine the likelihood of an ID match.

Conclusion

• The process of identification in forensic cases is multifaceted, involving various specialists and methods, each contributing to establishing a identity amid complexities and uncertainties surrounding unknown remains.