Commentary on: Bethard JD, DiGangi EA. Letter to the Editor—Moving beyond a lost cause: Forensic anthropology and ancestry estimates in the United States. J Forensic Sci. 2020;65(5):1791–2. doi: 10.1111/1556‐4029.14513.

Osseous remains provide forensic anthropologists with morphological and osteometric information that can be used in building a biological profile. By conducting a visual and physical examination, an anthropologist can infer information such as the sex and age of the deceased. Traditionally, morphological and osteometric information is gathered by physically handling remains for analysis. With the advancement of digital technology, there has been a shift from direct to indirect methods of analysis by utilizing models generated from three-dimensional (3D) imaging, which includes computed tomography (CT) scanning and 3D photogrammetry. Although CT scanning is more common, photogrammetry has found application in a range of fields such as architecture, geography and road accident reconstruction. The application of modern-day photogrammetry for forensic anthropology purposes, however, has not been discussed extensively. The aim of this research was to validate the accuracy of 3D models generated by photogrammetry by comparing them to both 3D models generated by CT scanning and the actual physical models. In this study, six 3D models were created using photogrammetry (n = 3) and CT scanning (n = 3). The 3D models were generated from three different Bone Clone® human skulls. A mobile phone camera was used to capture images, which were then processed in Agisoft Metashape®. Intrarater, interrater, and intermethod reliability tests gave correlation coefficients of at least 0.9980, 0.9871, and 0.9862, respectively; rTEM results ranged from 0.250 to 6.55%; and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) yielded P values under 0.05 for all measurements except one. Statistical tests therefore showed photogrammetry to be a reliable and accurate alternative to more expensive CT scanning approaches.

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Virtual anthropology? Reliability of three-dimensional photogrammetry as a forensic anthropology measurement and documentation technique

Human Identification Case Studies In Forensic Anthropology

Whilst many identification methods have been widely described and discussed in the literature, and considered in disaster and humanitarian contexts, there has been limited reporting and evaluation of the identification methods used in domestic medico-legal death investigation contexts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the identification methods utilised at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM), which forms part of a coronial medico-legal death investigation system. The method of identification and time taken to complete the identification were reviewed for all cases admitted to the VIFM over a five-year period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2020. The majority, 91%, of individuals admitted to the VIFM were visually identified. The remaining 9% of cases required identification by primary methods (i.e. fingerprints, DNA or dental) or, when those methods were not possible, by secondary methods (i.e. circumstantial). Visual identifications were the timeliest, taking an average of 1.5 days, whilst primary identification methods required an average of 5 days to complete. The triaging of identification methods, dependent on the case context, body preservation, availability of ante-mortem data, legal requirements and admissibility of the method, are determined by identification coordinators within the Human Identification Service (HIS) to ensure the most appropriate and timely method is employed. This review of human identification methods provides the foundation for future analyses to compare workflow processes and improve identification methods utilised in domestic medico-legal contexts.

Human identification: a review of methods employed within an Australian coronial death investigation system

Radiological imaging is often used to aid in forensic anthropological examinations. While forensic anthropologists may need to detect skeletal trauma virtually, they generally have very little to no radiological training. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of forensic anthropologists to accurately detect fractures using radiology. Five piglets were struck with a mallet, post-mortem, and then scanned using CT, X-ray and Lodox®. The number of fractures detected on each modality was recorded by a senior radiology resident (SRR), a novice forensic anthropologist (NFA) with brief radiological training, and more experienced forensic anthropologists (EFA) with limited to no radiological training. The piglets were macerated and the number of fractures present on the dry bone were counted. The percentage of fractures detected by each observer using each method in comparison to the dry bone was calculated. Cohen's kappa revealed that agreement between the NFA and SRR was considered substantial to almost perfect (k=0.77-1.00), while agreement between the EFA and SRR was fair to almost perfect (k=0.21-1.00). However, while the SRR and NFA had comparable sensitivities (0.0-83.7% and 0.0-89.3% respectively), the EFA detected on average 22.0% less fractures than the NFA (0.0-62.4%). This indicates that even brief radiological training increases the sensitivity of fracture detection, and that the ability of forensic anthropologists to detect fractures virtually without training is not sufficient when evaluating cases with suspected trauma. It is therefore suggested that all forensic anthropologists, both novice and more experienced, should receive radiological training in order to accurately detect fractures.

Can forensic anthropologists accurately detect skeletal trauma using radiological imaging

This review covers previous and current literature on the impact of forensic anthropologists on the positive scientific identification of human remains and aims to provide an understanding of what information a forensic anthropologist can contribute to an investigation. Forensic anthropologists looking to identify human remains study traits of the skeleton and any orthopedic devices present. In order to obtain a positive scientific identification, evidence that is both sufficiently unique to the individual and comparable to available antemortem data from that individual must be found. The increased availability of radiographs, scans and implants in recent decades has facilitated the identification process. When these records are unavailable, other techniques, such as craniofacial superimposition and facial approximation, can be employed. While these methods may assist the identification process, they are most useful for exclusion of certain individuals and gathering leads from the public. Forensic anthropologists have heavily relied on the skull and its complexities for identification - typically focusing on the frontal sinus and other unique traits. Post-cranial remains can provide important information about bone density, possible disease and other characteristics that may also be utilized. Techniques used to positively identify individuals are not limited to medicolegal death investigations, and have been useful in other legal contexts. In the future, a team approach, utilizing all the information gathered by multiple forensic scientists - including forensic anthropologists - will most likely become more common.

Austin Shamlou

Papers

Contributions of forensic anthropology to positive scientific identification: a critical Review.

Forensic anthropology in the global investigation of humanitarian and human rights abuse: Perspective from the published record.