Blau Soren, Hartman Dadna, Stock April, Leahy Fiona, Leditschke Jodie, Smythe Lyndall, Woodford Noel, Rowbotham Samantha
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Forensic Sci Res. 2024 Jun 18;9(3):owae032. doi: 10.1093/fsr/owae032. eCollection 2024 Sep.
When human remains are inadvertently located, case-related circumstantial information is used to generate an identification hypothesis, and the preservation of the remains typically informs which identification methods may then be used to validate that hypothesis. What happens, however, when there is no contextual information to generate an identification hypothesis? This paper presents the case of a near-complete human skeleton discovered at Sandy Point in Victoria, Australia. The circumstances of the case did not facilitate an identification hypothesis, and with no hypothesis to triage the identification process, all possible identification methods were employed. Preservation of the individual meant neither a visual nor a fingerprint identification was possible, and the lack of an identification hypothesis meant there was no antemortem reference data to compare with the postmortem DNA or dental information. Consequently, in addition to historical research, novel methods, such as radiocarbon dating and genetic intelligence, were utilized to complement information provided by the forensic anthropology and odontology analyses, which ultimately resulted in the identification. This example highlights the complexity of cases of unidentified skeletal remains and emphasizes the fact that identification is a process that necessarily requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.
Human skeletal remains were recovered from Sandy Point, Victoria.The absence of circumstantial information and the poor preservation (i.e. skeletonized) of the remains precluded the formation of an identification hypothesis, rendering the identification process complex.Only through the integration of anthropology, odontology, molecular biology, radiocarbon dating, historical research, and genealogy were the remains able to be identified as Mr. Christopher Luke Moore, who drowned in 1928.Human identification is a process that necessarily requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.
当无意中发现人类遗骸时，会利用与案件相关的间接信息来生成身份识别假设，而遗骸的保存状况通常会告知可以使用哪些识别方法来验证该假设。然而，当没有背景信息来生成身份识别假设时会发生什么呢？本文介绍了在澳大利亚维多利亚州桑迪角发现的一具近乎完整的人类骨骼的案例。该案件的情况不利于生成身份识别假设，由于没有假设来对识别过程进行分类，因此采用了所有可能的识别方法。该个体的保存状况意味着无法进行目视识别或指纹识别，而且缺乏身份识别假设意味着没有生前参考数据可与死后的DNA或牙齿信息进行比对。因此，除了历史研究之外，还利用了放射性碳测年和遗传情报等新方法来补充法医人类学和牙科学分析提供的信息，最终实现了身份识别。这个例子凸显了不明骨骼遗骸案件的复杂性，并强调了身份识别是一个必然需要多学科协作方法的过程。
从维多利亚州桑迪角找回了人类骨骼遗骸。
缺乏间接信息以及遗骸保存状况不佳（即骨骼化）使得无法形成身份识别假设，从而使身份识别过程变得复杂。
只有通过整合人类学、牙科学、分子生物学、放射性碳测年、历史研究和族谱学，这些遗骸才能被确认为1928年溺水身亡的克里斯托弗·卢克·摩尔先生。
人类身份识别是一个必然需要多学科协作方法的过程。
