Tentative Identification

Question 1

What are some early methods of identifying a person?

Answer 1

• criminals were marked by brands, tattoos, or disfigurement
• detailed written physical description was ID
• officers often had to memorize faces of known criminals

Question 2

What was the Bertillon System?

Answer 2

• first developed by Louis Bertillon
• included physical attributes and measurements (averages were determined for populations)
• Louis brother Alphonse adapted this for police use (it included 14 characteristics with 5 ranks - shout to be unlikely 2 people would rank the same)
• worked for some time, but collapsed

Question 3

What is the first question investigators must answer in an investiation?

Answer 3

who is the victim?

- if there is no answer, unlikely suspects or witnesses will be found

Question 4

what is tentative ID?

Answer 4

gives a possible ID for a person, but needs confirmation

Question 5

What 2 components make up tentative ID?

Answer 5

1. Evidence from crime scene (drivers license, labels on medication)
2. description of victim biology

Question 6

What is a Forensic Anthropologist and what do they do?

Answer 6

• medically qualified consultant for the police that specializes in identification and examination of human skeletal remains
• help create biological profile of victim
• need to understand taphonomy

Question 7

Which bones are used to estimate sex?

Answer 7

1. pelvis

2. skull

Question 8

What 3 features of the Pelvis can be used to differentiate between the sexes?

Answer 8

1. pelvic inlet/opening
2. pubis
3. sacrum

Question 9

How can the pelvic inlet be differentiated between male and female?

Answer 9

Male - narrow and noncircular

female - wide and circular

Question 10

Which feature of the pelvis is best for sex estimation and how does it differ between sexes?

Answer 10

Pubis - most reliable for sex estimation but doesn’t preserve well
Male - acute (<90 degrees)
Females - approx. 90 degrees

Question 11

How is the sacrum expressed between the two sexes?

Answer 11

Male - turned inward and approx. equal in length and width

Female - turned outward, short, and wide

Question 12

What features on the skull can be used to differentiate between the sexes?

Answer 12

1. cranium size
2. forehead
3. mastoid process

Question 13

how are the features on the skull expressed for males and females?

Answer 13

cranium
- male: large ; female: medium to larger
forehead
- male: low in height, sloped ; female: high in height, vaulted, rounded
mastoid process
- male: pronounced ; female: diminished/absent

Question 14

why is juvenile sex estimation difficult to determine?

Answer 14

• sex is not expressed on skeleton until puberty

- however, DNA from teeth can be used

Question 15

What factors can help with age estimation?

Answer 15

1. dentition
2. ossification
3. suture lines

Question 16

How is dentition used to approximate age?

Answer 16

• by observing the presence of developing teeth and eruption patterns
• only valuable for juveniles **

Question 17

What is ossification and how can it be used to estimate age?

Answer 17

• replacement of cartilage with bone

- different bones mature at different rates (can estimate age into mid-20s)

Question 18

**What are two problems with using bone ossification to age juveniles?

Answer 18

• ## since sex doesn’t appear on a juveniles skeleton until puberty, ossification won’t be useful for age

Question 19

Why is age harder to estimate in adults?

Answer 19

• changes in the body start to happen as we get older:
• bone density, pubic bone changes, tooth wear, arthritis
• only wide estimate can be provided

Question 20

what are suture lines and how can they help determine age?

Answer 20

• fibrous bands of tissue that connect the bones of the skull
• juveniles - more open
• young adult - gradually close
• elderly - majority are fully closed
• provide large range for adults but more precise for children*

Question 21

What 3 features on the skull can be used to determine ancestry?

Answer 21

1. eye sockets
2. nose
3. incisors

Question 22

What are the three main ancestries used for ancestry estimation?

Answer 22

1. African descent
2. Asian descent
3. European/white descent

Question 23

Differentiate between the three ancestries using identifying features

Answer 23

African:
- square eye sockets 
- wide nasal cavity 
- smooth incisors 
Asian:
- circular eye sockets 
- small, rounded nasal cavity 
- shoveled interior of incisors
White:
- oval eye sockets 
- long, narrow nasal cavity
- smooth incisors

Question 24

What is a limitation to ancestry estimation?

Answer 24

• many people are mixed race and may not fit into one specific category

Question 25

What are normative standards? What do we use them for?

Answer 25

• reference set of data on a morphological trait based on samples of normal individuals of a known morphological trait
  “average measurements from populations”
• used to determine sex, ancestry, age, stature

Question 26

What are some problems with normative standards?

Answer 26

• requires standards from population being studied
• standards for one race cannot be applied to all members of that race
• standards for NA cannot be applied to other countries
• new standards constantly developed

Question 27

What is stature and how is it measured?

Answer 27

• stature refers to the height of a person

- estimated by measuring long bones in body (femur or humerus)

Question 28

What are some limitations to stature?

Answer 28

• stature is not static (people shrink over time)

- stature record is often self-reported = inaccurate

Question 29

What do Forensic Artists do?

Answer 29

• sketch fresh faces
• if person is decomposed, they sketch the person’s face as if they were alive
• works with pathologist if severely disfigured

Question 30

What are some methods used for facial reconstruction?

Answer 30

• clay markers are used to approx. skin thickness (based on normative standards)
• computerized methods (often are too lifelike and hinder recognition)