Forensic Anthropology. Definition: An applied area of physical anthropology Role: To assist law enforcement agencies in a medico legal context.

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Forensic Anthropology

Definition: An applied area of physical anthropology Role: To assist law enforcement agencies in a medico legal context

General Goals 1. Establish biological profile: age, sex, race, height 2. Determine time since death –(PMI- post mortem interval) 3. Examine remains for signs of trauma 4. Establish positive identity

Who do they work with? Police Departments Sheriff’s Offices Office of the Attorney General Coroner’s offices FBI ATF Private individuals

Estimating Age Skull features Dentition Epiphysial fusion of long bones

Skull Features… The cranium (the skull minus the lower jaw bone, or mandible) consists of 28 bones. (6 unpaired bone, and 8 paired bones, plus 3 ear bones on each side) Some bones are paired, which means there is a left and right one, and some bones are unpaired, meaning there is just one.

Neonate – Newborn = first 28 days after birth The mandible is more commonly known as the lower jaw bone. It is the strongest bone of the face The mandible is two separate bones (left and right) that fuse together to form one bone.

DENTITION Teeth can be divided into maxillary (upper) and mandibular (lower) There are four different categories of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Adults will usually have a total of 32 teeth. The function of each tooth is different. Incisors are designed for cutting, canines are pointed for tearing, and premolars and molars are designed for grinding and reducing food.

The Hyoid Small, horn-shaped bone that supports the tongue, and gives attachment to many muscles in speech. This bone is of particular interest to forensic anthropologists as it is commonly broken in cases of strangulation. Unfused hyphoid. This fuses at about 35 years of age.

Long Bones Humerus - your upper arm bone Ulna/Radius - your lower arm bones Femur – your thigh bone. It is the largest of all bones Tibia & Fibula - two bones that make up your lower leg –tibia is known as the shin bone, and it is the second largest bone in the body

Radius & UlnaHumerus

FEMURFibula & Tibia

Determining Sex Skull features Pelvic Bone Characteristics Analysis of Femur Dentition A baby's skeleton has 350 bones, but many of these fuse to give an adult a total of 206 bones. A man's skeleton has broader shoulders than a woman's, a longer ribcage, and a pelvic girdle for walking/running. A woman's skeleton has the same bone complement as a man's but is slightly smaller and less robust, with a wider pelvic opening to assist childbirth.

Skull Features FEATUREMENWOMEN Cranial MassBlocky & Massive Deeper Rounder & Tapers at the Top Brow RidgeMargin is rounder & dullMargin is sharper Zygomatic BoneMore PronouncedLess Pronounced Mandible (lower jaw) Square ShapedRounded Shape Supercilary ArchMore Pronounced & larger Less Pronounced & smaller

Pelvic Bone Characteristics The innominate bones are irregular in shape –AKA: Hip Bone –the large bone in the hip, consisting of the ilium, the ischium, and the pubic bone. They are the best means of determining the SEX of a skeleton

FEMALEMALE

Analysis of the Femur Typically longer in men Women’s bones stop developing around 18 Men’s bones develop until about 21 Men have more bone mass

Determining Race Caucasoid characteristics: Oval eye orbits, Narrow nasal opening Negroid characteristics: square eye orbit, greater breadth at nose, protruding teeth Mongoloid: in between the two. Native Americans have “shoveled” teeth. RACE IS THE HARDEST TO IDENTIFY

Caucasoid

American Negroid

Native American

Determining Time Since Death Decay of epidermis and/or skeleton Articulation & scattering of remains Material Remains?? Clothing Objects

Postmortem Interval - PMI Antemortem trauma: Before death Perimortem trauma: at or around the time of death Post mortem trauma: after death Femur with animal chew marks on either end

Cause of Death Can be homicide, suicide, accidental, natural, and unknown Easier with a fleshed body and often very difficult with flesh and organs gone Look for things like depressions and indentations caused by blunt trauma, lead fragments, etc.