Polar Coordinate Mapping and Forensic Archaeology Within Confined Spaces

• NCJ Number: 197825
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Identification Volume: 52 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2002 Pages: 733-749
• Author(s): Michael J. Hochrein
• Editor(s): Alan L. McRoberts
• Date Published: November 2002
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article presents a mapping technique, suspended polar coordinate mapping, that allows for measurements of evidence located in confined subterranean spaces.

Abstract

The excavation and mapping of narrow, subterranean locations are difficult but manageable. Crime scenes sometimes involve the recovery of human remains or other evidence from confined or concealed environments, such as wells, pits, cisterns, sinkholes, vertical shafts, or well-like locations. Once identifying that forensically significant evidence is present, it must be documented. The precise recording of the position of the body in relation to the debris found above, below, and around can help to date the deposition. Suspended polar coordinate mapping can record data from which three-dimensional diagrams can be generated. It is a technique for mapping, remotely from ground surface, evidence located in confined subterranean spaces. The diagrams provide more complete contextual representations of evidence than individual photographs or other mapping techniques. This article describes this effective mapping technique for use with excavation protocols that have been adapted for confined spaces. The largest obstacle in applying the suspended polar coordinate mapping system is the investigator’s reluctance to invest extra time in recording the relationships between all the possible evidence and the environments in which they were found. However, the advantages of this technique outweigh the drawbacks of being time-consuming and labor-intensive. The advantages include: (1) the technique is suited for a variety of shallow and deep subsurface confined spaces; (2) the equipment used is portable and relatively inexpensive; (3) the system can be implemented by two people; (4) accurate scaled measurements can be obtained; (5) the technique records evidence in three dimensions; and (6) the technique is suitable for both indoor and outdoor settings. Figures and references