ANTH 6- Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Methods I: Excavation and Recovery
Adapted from: Bass 1995; Burns 1999; Gray 1918; and White 1991

The PEOPLE
These Are The People In Your Neighborhood:
First officer on the scene
Crime scene technician
Coroner or Medical Examiner
Pathologist
Investigator

The SEARCH
The Crime Scene
The Search Team
Logistics
Management
Terrain
The four basic search methods--
Grid
Circle
Strip
Zone

SURFACE RECOVERY
Found something?
Surface recoveries
Primary event
Cadaver dogs
Dimension
Command post
Crime scene processing
Clean the site
Paper or plastic?
Metal detectors then excavate
Strip and screen
Samples of soil

THE BURIED BODY
Indicators of burial
Disturbed vegetation
Soil compaction
Depressions
Soil disturbance

SPECIAL PROBLEMS
Infrared photography
Methane detectors (and other on-going research at BARF)
Aerial photography
Probe
Construction equipment

EXCAVATION TECHNIQUES
Hole
Trench
Table
Preferences
Strip and screen
Evidence in the screens
Removal
Check under the body
Arson

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGISTS
Recommendations
Who are forensic anthropologists?
What can anthropology contribute?
The questions we answer
A suspicion of homicide
The victim
A shameless plug for Bill
If I could only have three bones...
The skull
Disarticulation
Teeth, jewelry, ligatures
Sub adults
Long bones and epiphyses
What to do when you can’t find an Anthropologist?
Trauma
Perimortem
Skeletal trauma
Skeletal perimortem trauma
Oops, it broke off…
‘ Fess up
Please, not the face!
Speaking of measuring…
 

Questions? Comments? Corrections?? email me!