Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Recovery and Analysis of Branch Davidian Compound Victims: Techniques of Analysis

• NCJ Number: 155736
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Dated: (May 1995) Pages: 341-348
• Author(s): D W Owsley; D H Ubelaker; M M Houck; K L Sandness; W E Grant; E A Craig; T J Woltanski; N Peerwani
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Training (Aid/Material)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The recovery and analysis of human remains from the Branch Davidian Compound, near Waco, Tex., was a multidisciplinary team effort; this paper addresses the examination and inventory of human skeletal remains and the interpretation of these osteological data.

Abstract

First, the authors describe the content and format of the skeletal inventory and the examination procedures used for data collection. Two subsequent sections illustrate the use of these data to determine age, sex, ancestry, stature, and other distinguishing characteristics, along with the presence and nature of any premortem, perimortem, and postmortem trauma. The next section discusses how these findings assist in establishing positive identification through, for example, comparison with medical, dental, and other background records, especially comparison of premortem and postmortem radiographs of bones or dentition. In this context, the authors also consider the sorting of commingled remains, which includes preliminary assessment of rapidly decomposing remains prior to autopsy to preserve information crucial to identification. 10 figures and 11 references