NCJ Number
182166
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2000 Pages: 467-470
Date Published
March 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In May and June of 1996, a forensic anthropology team from the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the University of Florida identified 9 of 10 juveniles from the crash of ValuJet 592; the team relied primarily on a radiographic atlas developed and used by clinical practitioners to determine skeletal age.
Abstract
The remains recovered from the crash site were severely fragmented. Cranial fragments and teeth were rarely recovered. Juvenile remains were separated from adult remains by examination of soft tissue morphology or radiographic identification of immature bones and joints. Juvenile remains were then radiographed in the position demonstrated in the respective atlas on unscreened Kodak EM-1 diagnostic mammography film. Accurate antemortem information was obtained through questionnaires completed by surviving family members, which provided the identification team with specific information on exact birth dates, weights, and statures. In some cases, photographs of the decedents were available. Postmortem radiographs of the juvenile victims were compared with radiographic standards to determine skeletal age. Skeletal age was then compared to a passenger list that indicated the gender, weight, height, and chronological age of each individual. Tentative identifications based on the atlas method were organized into an exclusion matrix. Final identifications were based on this assessment in conjunction with other anthropological data such as appearance and fusion of ossification centers and estimation of stature. 3 figures, 1 table, and 17 references