Recommended Further Reading
These articles present discussions of simple to complex methods for sorting commingled human remains.
- Baker, P. T., Newman, R. W. (1957). The use of bone weight for human identification. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 15:601–618.
- Byrd, J. E., Adams, B. J. (2003). Osteometric sorting of commingled human remains. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 48(4):717–724.
- Byrd, J. E., Adams, B. J. (2009). Analysis of commingled human remains. In: Blau, S., Ubelaker, D. Handbook of Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology, Chapter 15. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.
- Fulton, B. A., Meloan, C. E., Finnegan, M. (1986). Reassembling scattered and mixed human bones by trace element ratios. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 31:1455–1462.
- Schaefer, M. C., Black, S. M. (2007). Epiphyseal union sequencing: Aiding in the recognition and sorting of commingled remains. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52(2):277–285.
Useful Weblinks
Estimating age at death is one of the most difficult components of the biological profile. There are more methods for age estimation than any other component of the biological profile.
In the past decade, the use of Transition analysis to estimate age in forensic context has become much more prevalent. In December of 2022, the Society of Forensic Anthropologists (SOFA) partnered with the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) to produce a series of webinars on new methods and research. The webinar on Transition analysis 3 is archived on the FTCOE website. In order to watch the webinar, you must sign up for an FTCOE user identification, but it is free to do so. The link below will take you to an informational page on the webinar to view the actual webinar follow the “back to webinar link” and make sure you have an account.
The pubic symphysis has been one of the most important sites in estimating age at death in forensic anthropology. In this SOFA/FTCOE webinar Dr. Kristen Hartnett McCann covers ageing methods for the pubic symphysis. The link below will take you to an informational page on the webinar to view the actual webinar follow the “back to webinar link” and make sure you have an account.