NCJ Number
140916
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1993) Pages: 69-80
Date Published
1993
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Examples are presented of cases where partial remains of the same individual were recovered at different times and from separate locations.
Abstract
Such remains raise unique problems for coroners, medical examiners, and police because their discovery has the potential to complicate identification and disrupt investigative continuity. Recovered partial remains highlight the need for proper documentation and raise the question of their release for burial or retention for evidence. To positively link partial remains to each other requires either the original remains or adequate documentation for comparisons to be made. To test for congruency of articulating elements, having both sets of partial remains available is ideal. If partial human skeletal remains are released to the family, the mode of disposition should allow future retrieval if necessary. Local burial rather than cremation is the disposition of choice. In general, confidence in attributing partial remains to a particular individual will be tempered by regional criminal activity and missing persons. 7 references, 2 tables, and 7 figures