Tracking the traces. [Part 2 Question 4]

How are you all doing my fellow budding Detecteeth? :) Another week has passed and our team has gathered around the clock to link all the new evidences together to solve this new part of the case.

With our brains put together, brainstorming everyday, here are some findings which we hope can help you along the way to become a forensic investigator like us! :D

Question 4

Other than examining the dental aspects provided as evidence, what other ways can the victims be identified?

Now, let’s broaden our search! How else are we to identify the victim apart from all the dental aspects that we’ve been zooming into? 

Amongst the things that can give clues about human identification are hair, skin, skull, bone, joints and soft tissue. That accounts for almost everything that we are made of! Looking at the available options, it seems like we’ve been designed to leave traces behind when we die. Therefore, it isn’t wrong for one to vaguely say that almost every part of our body can help with human identification.

With that being said, let us now briefly look at how these human remains can help us trace the victims.

   Hair

Hair analysis can indicate whether it is of human or animal origin and also identify the race of the victims. It can also determine if the hair has been dyed, cut in a certain way or pulled out, and which part of the body it was located in. In some cases. The hair shaft with a follicle can also offer genetic determinations, such as blood type or DNA. It is important to note that the external layer of the hair shaft can resist decomposition and therefore it is one of the evidence that has real “staying power”.

Fingerprints

It is no doubt that fingerprints are the most universally used forensic evidence around the world. What is so special about fingerprints that they are widely used as evidence? Here’s why, it’s due to their persistence and their uniqueness. A person’s fingerprints do not change over time. Permanent scarring is the only way a fingerprint can change. In addition, fingerprints are unique to an individual. Even identical twins have different fingerprints!

     Skin

Body marks can be characteristic of an individual and can be used to support an identification, in conjunction with medical or police records and/or identification given by family members. Body marks may include birth marks, tattoos, pimple marks from teen years, surgical scars and etcetera.

 Feet

Two main forms used for identification one being from records kept by podiatrist while examining and treating and the other being by marks left by objects they have come in contact with the foot like shoes and ground surfaces. Toe nails can contribute for DNA analysis too!

 Bones

First of all, it is crucial to ensure that the skeletal remains found belongs to a human! If so, different bones can identify things such as sex, race, and age. Leg or arm bones can determine stature and weight. Also, any pathology of the skeleton must be start in order to make an identification of the remains, determine the cause of death and, if murderer is involved, could even identify him/her.

 Joints & Soft Tissue

Almost always, if there are any surgical implantation done, it comes with a documented serial number on. For medical examiners, these small codes can close cases and give some comfort to the family of the identified. Originally these serial numbers helped to recall defective devices and ensure patient safety, However the serial numbers on implants and prosthetics are now being used to hurry the identification of the dead.

Skull

This is the most fascinating one! Computer graphics are used to perform a facial reconstruction to estimate the dead person’s appearance. Like other bones, scientists can determine a person’s sex and race from skull features. The difference is, with the aid of these graphics, they can also discover much about the soft tissue in the ears and nose and how much fat the person had on his or her face. The image is then usually distributed for identification.

More about Facial Reconstruction!

Yes, you read that right, you can reconstruct a person's face without even knowing anything about the person.  BUT...How?!?! 

When skeletal remains are found, and the victim remains unidentified even after traditional means of identification, investigators may seek the assistance forensic artist to utilize the three-dimensional facial reconstruction technique. The three-dimensional process is begins by placing the skull on a workable stand, where the skull can easily be tilted and turned in all directions.

Utilising proper tissue depth data can determine race, gender, and age. Artificial eyes are placed in the skull’s eye sockets, centered and at the proper depth. The tissue markers are glued directly onto the skull. Clay will be systematically applied directly on the skull, following the skull's contours. Various measurements are made, and recorded, to determine nose thickness/length, mouth thickness/width, and eye placement.

Information such as geographic location of where the deceased lived, his or her lifestyle, and the various information provided to the artist by the Forensic Anthropologist and other professionals, is heavily relied upon when completing the reconstruction.

Hair is accomplished by means of a wig, or by applying clay to represent hair. Various items (props), such as glasses, clothing, hats, etc. may be applied to better accentuate the features of the individual.

Upon completion, the sculpture is photographed. When executed properly, this technique is proven to have a high success rate.