FORENSIC

ANTHROPOLOGY

Laboratorium Bio- & Paleoantropologi

Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Gadjah Mada
Indonesia is disaster homeland
What is forensic anthropology?
Forensic anthropology is defined as the field of study
concerned with the identification of suspected or known
human remains from medico-legal contexts.

Anthropologists have been responsible for skeletal remains:

complete,
fragmentary,

varying states of preservation including

fleshed,
decomposed,
burnt,
dismembered/ mutilation or combination.
What is forensic anthropology?
Skeletonized remains:
1). bones associated decomposed tissue, body fluids
2). bones with desiccated (mummified) tissue covering less <
50% of skeleton;
3). bones largely dry, but still retaining some grease; and 4).
dry bone.
Forensic anthropologists involve in identification
related to:

missing persons,
criminal investigations,
accidents,
mass disasters,
war crimes investigations, and
clinical cases (e.g.: the age of an individual).
Personal identification achieved through:
DNA, fingerprints,
dental-medical information,
piercings, tattoos,
hair/eye color, fingernails etc.

forensic anthropologists determine:

- biological identification: ancestry, sex, age, stature
of an individual.
- analysis of trauma to the skeleton.
Forensic anthropologist is responsible for addressing
questions:

1. Is the material bone?

2. Is the bone human or non-human?
3. What is the preservation of the remains?
4. Are the remains of forensic significance?
5. How many individuals are present?
6. What is the ancestry of the individual/s?
7. What is the sex of the individual/s?
8. What is the age of the individual/s?
9. What is the stature of the individual/s?
10. Are there any individualizing characteristics?
11. Is there evidence of trauma and or pathology on the
remains?
Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)
Disasters involving mass fatalities can result from a variety
of events including:
aircraft and train accidents,
bombings and explosions,
earthquakes and tsunami,
fires, floods,
infectious disease outbreaks,
landslides, mudslides and avalanches,
tornadoes and hurricanes,
war-related deaths and weapons of mass destruction.
Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)
Such events produce a range of extreme forces such as
heat (burning),
wave (impact),
crush (structure collapse),
explosion,
collapse building (impact), and/or
environmental influences (temperature, humidity, hot-
wave, cold, salt, carnivore/rodent)
that all potentially impact on the body.
Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)
The impact of such forces on the human body may result in a
variety of differentially preserved remains that may include
bodies and/or body parts that are:
Intact or fairly intact,
decomposed,
fragmentary,
commingled,
burned/cremated,
partially burnt,
distorted,
buried or
a combination of several of these states of preservation.
Consequently, it is important for practitioners dealing with
remains resulting from a mass disaster to have expertise
not only in human anatomy but also in:
taphonomy (the study of the transition of organic
remains from the biosphere into the lithosphere) and
diagnosis (the effects on organic remains that take
place between the time of burial and their recovery).

Forensic anthropologists describe on experiences dealing

with a wide variety of differentially preserved remains in
routine casework to assist in DVI.
When forensic anthropologists have assisted in the investigation of mass
disasters, they have been critical in the:

1). separation of human from non-human and non-bone material;

2). separation of recognizable vs. non- recognizable fragments;
3). separation of commingled remains;
4). analysis of small fragments of bone from any region in the body;
5). siding of fragments of skeletal fragment;
6). analysis of cross-sections of bone in soft tissue masses;
7). analysis of incinerated remains with no soft tissue;
8). determination of the minimum numbers of individuals, and
9). analysis of fragmentary, commingled and/or heat damaged skeletal
remains for the assessment of age, sex, and ancestry, that is, eliciting
biological profiles form otherwise unidentifiable remains.
Forensic anthropologist involved in the recovery of
human remains:
Recovering remains that might otherwise be
unrecognizable and therefore overlooked.
The potential loss of evidence may impact on the
reconstruction of peri- and postmortem events.
The spatial-temporal relationship between the
bodies and associated evidence, the body
position and in determining the number of
individuals present.
Protocols of the DVI:

Phase 1: Involves the investigation of the scene of the

disaster.
Phase 2: Involves the collection of post-mortem data
from deceased individuals.
Phase 3: Involves the collection of ante-mortem
information from the community in relation to
persons possibly involved in the disaster.
Phase 4: Involves the matching of the ante-mortem and
post-mortem information and presentation of
the findings to constituted reconciliation Board.
Phase 5: Involves the process of debriefing all personnel
involved in the DVI.
DVI Indonesia
Regional Barat 1 : Aceh, Sumut, Riau, Jambi & Sumbar
Regional Barat 2 : DKI Jakarta, Jawat Barat, Banten,
Jawa Tengah, DIY, Sumsel, Bengkulu,
Lampung, Bangka Belitung, Kalbar &
Kalteng.
Regional Tengah: Jawa Timur, Kalsel, Kaltim, Bali, NTB &
& NTT
Regional Timur : Sulawesi, Maluku & Papua
Contoh:
DVI Propinsi Jawa Timur
Penasehat : 1. Gubernur
2. Kapolda
Ketua : 1. Kabiddokkes Polda
2. Kadinkes Propinsi
Sekretaris 1 : Kasubbid Dokpol Biddokkes Polda
Sekretaris 2 : Direktur RSUD
Seksi Operasi : Kaur DVI Biddokkes Polda
What can be identified?
1. Human or not
2. Minimum number of individual
3. Sex (why not gender?)
4. Age
5. Race
6. Stature
7. Bone commingling (ossoarium)
8. Skeletal pathology/ injury
9. Cause of and time since death
Differential Skeletal Anatomy of Humans
and Animals
Please look at the faces
Human or not?
Characteristics:
1. Fusion of epiphysis and metaphysis.
2. Density of long bone (humans have more
trabecular than animal)

METRIC AND MORPHOLOGICAL DIFFERENCE OF

ANIMAL AND HUMAN BONES
 Differential Skeletal Anatomy of Human and Animals:
Cranium
Human Animal

Large bulbous vault, small face Small vault, large face

Pronounced muscle markings,

Vault relatively smooth
sagittal crest Inferior

Inferior Foramen Magnum Posterior Foramen Magnum

Chin present Chin absent

Orbits at sides, posterior to nasal

Orbits at front, above nasal aperture
aperture
Minimal nasal and midface Significant nasal and midface
projection projection
"U"-shaped mandible (no midline "V"-shaped mandible (separates at
separation) midline)
Differential Skeletal Anatomy of Human
and Animals: Dentition
Human Animal
Carnivorous; Herbivorous;
Omnivorous
Omnivorous

Dental formula 2:1:2:3 Basic dental formula 3:1:4:3

Incisors (maxillary) are larger than Horse maxillary incisors are larger
other mammals than human incisors

Carnivores have large conical

Canines small canines; Herbivores have small or
missing canines

Carnivores have sharp, pointed

Premolars and molars have low,
cheek teeth; Herbivores have
rounded cusps divided by distinct
broad, flat cheek teeth with parallel
grooves
furrows and ridges
Differential Skeletal Anatomy of Humans and
Animals: Post-cranium
Human
Upper limbs less robust
Radius and ulna are separate bones
Large, flat and broad vertebral bodies
with short spinous processes
Sacrum with 5 fused vertebrae, short and
broad
Pelvis is broad and short, bowl-shaped
Femur is longest bone in body, linea
aspera is singular feature
Separate tibia and fibula
Foot is long and narrow, weight borne on
heel and toes
Animal
Robust upper limbs
Radius and ulna often fused
Small vertebrtal bodies with convex/
concave surfaces and long spinous
processes
Sacrum with 3 or 4 fused vertebrae, long
and narrow
Pelvis is long and narrow, blade-shaped
Femur is similar length to other limb
bones, linea aspera double or plateau
Tibia and fibula are often fused
Foot is broad, weight borne mainly on
toes
Differential Bone Macrostructure of
Human and Animals

Human Animal
More porous cortical
Less porous cortical bone
bone

1/4 thickness of diameter 1/2 thickness of diameter of

of long bone long bone

Diaphyseal trabecular Diaphyseal trabecular

present absent

Thick diploe in cranial More compact cranial vault

vault bones bones
Relative thickness of animal and human
diaphyseal cortical bone
Minimum number of individual
How Forensic Anthropologists Read Bones?
When bones or skeletons are found, they are taken to a
forensic laboratory for examination. The job of a forensic
anthropologist is to examine the bones, to possibly deduce
the sex, age, race, height, as well as medical history and
manner of death.
Sex
Age
Race
Stature
Regression formula for long bones
Bone commingling (ossoarium)
Skeletal pathology/injury
Cause of and time since death
Conclusion:
Although forensic anthropology is not formally
recognized in the DVI process (that is, there is
no space given to the recording of forensic
anthropological information on the pink DVI
post-mortem forms), forensic anthropology is an
important part of a multidisciplinary approach to
the investigation of mass disasters both in terms
of the recovery and analysis phases.
 References
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Anatomy: A Photography Atlas for Medical Examiners, Coroners, Forensic
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Black, S. & Ferguson, E. (eds.) 2011 Forensic Anthropology 2000 to 2010.
Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Blau, S. & Ubelaker, D. (eds.) 2009 Handbook of Forensic Archaeology and
Anthropology. Walnut Creek: Left Coast Press.
Burns, K.R. 1999 Forensic Anthropology Training Manual. Upper Saddle River:
Prentice Hall.
Byers, S.N. 2008 Introduction to Forensic Anthropology, 3rd. Boston: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Gowland, R. & Thomson, T. 2013 Human Identity and Identification.
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Hunter, J. & Cox, M. 2005 Forensic Archaeology: Advances in Theory and
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