Lecture 2 - Disaster Victim Identification and Mass Disasters Flashcards
6 death investigation questions
- Who
- What
- How
- When
- Where
- Why
What is cause of death?
Specific injury or disease that leads to death
What is manner of death?
- determination of how the injury or disease caused the death
- explanation of how the cause arose
Definition of disaster
Unexpected event causing the deaths or injuring many people
3 types of disasters
- open
- closed
- combinations
What is an open disaster?
- unknown individuals with no prior data
- difficult to obtain data following disaster
What is a closed disaster?
- fixed identifiable group e.g. aircraft crash
- comparative ante mortem data can be obtained quickly
What is combination disaster?
- combination of open and closed disaster (e.g. aircraft crash in residential area)
4 steps of disaster management
- collect and analyse information
- identify requirements (equipment and personnel)
- operational plan for victim management
- Information management (families, authorities, media)
Initial analysis of the disaster
- area extent of the scene and numbers dead
- state of the corpses
- evaluation (how long will victim identification take?)
- DVI responders (police/coroner/NZSFO/military)
- body recovery (composition and number of teams)
- transportation of corpses
- storage (refrigeration)
What are the 4 units for a crime scene?
- central emergency rescue unit
- central investigation unit
- victim identification unit
- disaster investigation unit
What does the central emergency rescue unit do?
Recover and treat survivors
What does the central investigation unit do?
Evidence collection and scene-of-crime
What does the victim identification unit do?
Body recovery and evidence collection
What does the disaster investigation unit do?
- determining the cause(s) of disaster
- TAIC: transport accident investigation commission
- CAA: civil aviation authority NZ
What are the teams within the disaster victim identification unit?
- management and communications
- body recovery and evidence collection
- AM team
- PM team
- reconciliation team
- care and counselling team
- identification board
5 DVI phases
- the scene
- post mortem
- ante mortem
- reconciliation
- debrief
Why victim identification?
- certainty
- closure
- criminality
- cash
Methods of identification must be
- scientifically sound
- reliable
- applicable under field conditions
- within reasonable period of time
Methods of identification must NOT be
- photographs
- visual identification by a witness
3 primary methods of identification
- fingerprint analysis
- forensic dental analysis
- DNA analysis
Secondary methods of identification
- personal descriptions/medical findings
- evidence/clothing
5 postmortem data evidence
- fingerprints
- odontology
- DNA profiling
- physical indications
- visual identification (not considered accurate)
Postmortem data - two facts about fngerprints
- highly reliable
- limited value (most fingerprints not on record)
Postmortem data - odontology
- one of the most reliable forms of identification as highly durable
- most people have dental records
Postmortem data - DNA profiling
- direct comparison e.g. (victim + hairbrush)
- indirect comparisons can also be made using parents DNA
Postmortem data - physical indications
- tattoos, scars or surgical implants
How long has DNA typing been used for human identification?
Since the mid 1980’s
How is DNA universally recognised as?
The standard against which many other forensic individualization techniques are judged
Why is DNA known as the standard?
Reliability
4 main issues with DNA
- acquiring antemortem data
- slow, laboratory based process
- effect of postmortem decomposition on DNA quality
- cost
How long have finger/toenail prints been used for human identification?
Since early 1900’s
Prints require further research into
- sources of error
- quantification of uniqueness vs error rates
- numerical discriminating value of the various ridge formations and clusters of ridge formations
What is forensic odontology?
The application of the science of dentistry to the field of law
Forensic odontology includes?
- identification of unknown remains (well established)
- bite mark comparison (most controversial)
- interpretation of oral injury
- dental malpractice
What do pathologists do? (secondary evidence)
- radiologic (“x-ray”) examination
- external examination
- autopsy
What do pathologists do in autopsy?
- cause, manner and mechanism of death
- jewellery, piercings, tattoos
- antemortem disease, injuries, surgery
- prostheses (breast, pacemakers, orthopaedic)
- perimortem injuries (burns, airways)
- gender; age estimation
- DNA sampling
What do anthropologists do? (secondary evidence)
- anatomy
- taphonomy (decomposition)
- diagnesis (chemical changes and fossilization of bone)
What coloured paper is used for ante mortem?
Yellow
What coloured paper is used for post mortem?
Pink
