Forensics For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10

Identifying Unknown Victims

IN THIS CHAPTER

Outlining how bodies are identified

Finding answers in skeletal remains

Determining the time and cause of death

Using facial reconstruction and photographic techniques

Not every corpse that comes into the coroner’s office is conveniently carrying a driver’s license and Social Security card. All too often police are confronted with identifying an unknown corpse. In movies, this process usually takes only a few minutes of screen time, but in reality, it may take weeks, months, or even years. Some bodies never are identified.

The corpse in question may have been dead for hours, days, months, years, or many decades. An extended time since death and many other factors can complicate the identification process, which usually involves several different forensic disciplines and techniques, all of which are coordinated by the medical examiner (ME).

GETTING RID OF THE BODY

Criminals don’t like to leave behind evidence, although they usually do. In a murder, the primary bit of evidence is obviously the body. Sometimes a murderer attempts ...