NCJ Number
118064
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 34 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1989) Pages: 587-606
Date Published
1989
Length
19 pages
Annotation
Greater understanding of animal scavenging of human remains can assist forensic science investigators in locating and recovering dispersed skeletal elements in recognizing damage produced by scavengers and in making more informed estimates of the postmortem interval period.
Abstract
The pattern of skeletal damage can indicate whether the body was scavenged while intact or at some time after other natural processes of disarticulation had begun. This study analyzed 30 partially to fully skeletonized human remains with respect to scavenging at the time of body discovery in order to determine if a patterned consumption sequence existed. The scavengers were primarily coyotes (Canis latrans) and domestic dogs (C. familiaris). Sixteen non-carnivore-scavenged remains were also examined and contrasted with the carnivore-scavenged sample. Observed postmortem intervals from death to recovery ranged from 4 hours to 52 months. Results demonstrate that canid scavenging of human remains takes place in sequential stages: Stage 0 = no bony involvement; Stage 1 = ventral thorax damaged and one or both upper extremities removed; Stage 2 = lower extremity involvement; Stage 3 = only vertebral segments remain articulated; and Stage 4 = total disarticulation. Results revealed a clear correspondence between observed stages of disarticulation and the postmortem interval. (Author abstract)