Forensic Anthropology: The Growing Science of Talking Bones (Science and Technology in Focus)

225 Pages·2002·2.95 MB·English

by  Peggy Thomas

FORENSIC
ANTHROPOLOGY
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS
FORENSIC
ANTHROPOLOGY
The Growing Science of
Talking Bones
Peggy Thomas
This book is dedicated to my father
HOWARDFACKLAM.
As a teacher he taught me to look at the world and its facts,
but as my father he showed me the world and its graces.
Thanks Dad!
FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY: The Growing Science of Talking Bones
Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Peggy Thomas
This is a revised edition of TALKING BONES: The Science of Forensic Anthropology
by Peggy Thomas (Facts On File, 1995)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from
the publisher. For information contact:
Facts On File, Inc.
132 West 31st Street
New York NY 10001
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thomas, Peggy.
Forensic anthropology : the growing science of talking bones / Peggy Thomas.
p. cm. — (Science and technology in focus)
Rev. ed. of: Talking bones. c1995.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8160-4731-6 (hardcover)
1. Forensic anthropology. 2. Forensic osteology. I. Thomas, Peggy.
Talking bones. II. Title. III. Series.
GN69.8 .T48 2003
599.9—dc21 2002005703
Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for
businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales
Department in New York at [phone] or [phone].
You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com
Text design by Erika K. Arroyo
Cover design by Nora Wertz
Illustrations by Sholto Ainslie, Patricia Meschino, and
Dale Williams © Facts On File, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
MP FOF 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments x
Introduction xi
Diagram of the Human Skeleton xii
Diagrams of the Human Skull xiii
1 Murder 1
September 11, 2001 1
The Sausage Maker 3
The Parkman Murder 6
2 Building a Science 10
The Measure of Man 12
A Turning Point 14
Partners in Crime Fighting 15
War and Research 18
3 The Forensic Team 21
Working within the System 23
Autopsy 24
4 Is It Human? 27
Hands and Paws 32
Horse Tails and Dog Bones 34
5 Crime Scene 36
Search and Recovery 37
Taphonomy 40
Buried Bodies 42
The Forensic Response Team 44
Mass Disaster 45
Crash Site 46
The Largest Crime Scene 47
6 The Body Farm 50
Open-Air Research 51
Early Postmortem Changes 54
Decomposition 55
Rate of Decay 57
Sight, Smell, Touch 58
The Biochemistry of Decomposition 59
7 The Bug Detectives 61
Pig Research 62
Insects and Death 64
Collecting Data 67
Maggot Math 70
Succession Patterns 71
Was the Body Moved? 72
Insects on a Suspect 73
Underwater Insects 73
Bugs and Drugs 74
8 Hidden Identity 76
Living Bone 77
Skeletal Collections 77
Male or Female? 79
Age at Death 82
Race 88
Stature 91
9 Positive Identification 93
Occupational Trauma 94
Handedness 96
Disease and Illness 97
Fingerprints 100
Sinus Prints 104
Forensic Odontology 104
The Dentists of DMORT 106
10 It’s in the Genes 108
In a Leicester Lab 110
The First DNA Manhunt 110
DNA Profiling 111
CODIS 114
From Mother to Child 115
Millions of Tests 116
11 Cause of Death 118
Chicken Legs and Finger Bones 120
Gunshot Trauma 122
Blunt-Force Trauma 123
Sharp-Force Trauma 124
Evidence of Child Abuse 128
Burned Bone 129
After the Fire 130
The Case of the Body in the Burned-Out Car 131
12 Face Finding 134
Finding Frank 135
Grinner—a Face from the Past 140
New Standards 144
Computer Imaging 145
What Are the Chances? 147
Photographic Superimposition 147
Age Progression 151
Facial Image Identification 153
13 The Last Word 154
Anastasia 154
Graveyard Detectives 158
The Angel of Death 160
14 Old Bones 164
Mummies 165
Otzi 167
The Body in the Bog 169
The Repatriation Act 171
Kennewick Man 173
15 Silent Witness 175
A Grave at Ovcara 175
Crimes against Humanity 178
Argentina 179
Working a Mass Grave 181
A Worldwide Effort 183
16 Bringing Them Home 185
Casualty Data 186
Search and Recovery 187
A Mountaintop Mission 188
The Identification Process 189
DNA Testing 193
After September 11 195
Appendixes
Glossary 197
Further Reading 199
Websites 200
Index 201