Forensic Anthropology

Was a crime committed? Who was this person, how long have they been deceased, and what happened to them? These are the first questions any homicide detective asks. But cases involving outdoor crime scenes, decomposing, burned, or skeletal remains can complicate that picture and make finding the answers more challenging. Forensic anthropology contributes to homicide and cold case investigations in a myriad of critical ways like locating clandestine burials, grave excavation at outdoor crime scenes, John and Jane Doe grave exhumations in cemeteries, trauma analysis to understand the cause and manner of death using skeletal injury patterns, human identification, and time since death estimation. Using trauma patterns, time since death, and other crime scene variables helps establish the context and is the foundation for what forensic pathologists and coroners use to make rulings on the cause and manner of death in cases involving decomposing or skeletal remains. Anthropology can also provide information critical for forensic art reconstructions by providing data about what the person may have looked like based on their skeletal anatomy and biological profile. This chapter discusses forensic anthropology as an applied science and the range of tools and methods offered to modern homicide investigations. The cold case problem in the United States is a significant problem as hundreds of thousands of cases remain open, limiting justice for families and victims and leaving offenders unchecked to repeat their crimes. The long-term cases that remain open and investigated further drain the criminal justice system already threatened by limited resources. The time is now for new protocols and standards that incorporate all that science and technology has to offer, including the vast role of forensic anthropology in major crime investigations.