Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice," at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This session aims to highlight recent projects from those active in forensic research and case work. As forensic archaeology continues to grow as a discipline and is utilized with increasing frequency by law enforcement officials, case studies are of great use to those engaged in forensic field work. In addition, research is essential to strengthening the theoretical foundations of forensic archaeology. This session also features research projects that will be of benefit to future forensic work and criminal justice. Those involved in research have the opportunity to address areas untouched by current practitioners. By bringing together researchers and practitioners, this symposium aims to create meaningful dialog and spur collaboration.

Other Keywords
Forensic Archaeology • Historic • Quantitative and Spatial Analysis • Historical Archaeology • Photogrammetry • Theory • Cemetery • Exhumation • Bioarchaeology/Skeletal Analysis • Archaeometry & Materials Analysis

Geographic Keywords
United States of America (Country) • North America (Continent) • North America • United Mexican States (Country) • Department of Martinique (Country) • Republic of El Salvador (Country) • Department of Guadeloupe (Country) • Cayman Islands (Country) • Antigua and Barbuda (Country) • Turks and Caicos Islands (Country)

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-9 of 9)

  • Documents (9)
Documents
  • A Case Study of Legal and Practical Pitfalls of Forensic Archaeology Recovery of Human Remains from a New Orleans Pauper Cemetery (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Christine Halling. Ryan Seidemann.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Many coroners’ offices in the State of Louisiana have a contract for interring unclaimed or unidentified individuals, keeping their coolers clear for new bodies. Therefore, the public relies on interment to document the location of the body in the event that family members require disinterment in the future. When these contracts are with private...

  • The Complexities of Managing Global Forensic Archaeology with Differing Archaeological Entities, including CRM Firms, Private NGOs, University Researchers, and Field Schools in the Search for Missing US Servicemen. (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Denise To.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is a US DoD organization that has the awesome responsibility of conducting and managing world-wide forensic archaeological excavations to recover missing US military servicemen from past conflicts. The DPAA-Lab (which traces back to 1947) has the sole forensic authority to make positive identifications of...

  • Going Back and Forth: Case Studies of Historic Facial Reconstruction (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Evelyn Grant. Dana Kollmann.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In the field of Forensic Anthropology, artistic facial reconstruction is used to aid in the identification of unknown human remains when other scientific techniques and approaches have failed. In Forensic Archaeology, the same techniques can be utilized to bring historical remains back to life. In the context of historical case studies, several...

  • Hot, Cold, Above and Below: Enhanced Survey Methods in the Detection of Clandestine Graves (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Dana Kollmann.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Ground-based methods of searching for clandestine graves and surface remains have been utilized by law enforcement and search and rescue personnel for years. When ground conditions and the technique of search are appropriate for the circumstances of the case, results are often successful. However, weather, terrain, acreage, foliage and efforts...

  • Integrating Close-Range Photogrammetry Methods for Outdoor Scene Documentation of Scattered Remains (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only John Schultz. Megan McCollum. Kevin A. Gidusko. Patrisha L. Meyrs.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Documenting the context of outdoor crime scenes with decomposing bodies and skeletal remains using traditional methods can pose a challenge due to the complexities of outdoor scenes and various taphonomic processes that can modify the remains and the scene. While the use of close-range photogrammetry (CRP) methods are currently more often...

  • The Intersection of Bioarchaeology and Forensic Archaeology Methodologies and Theories: A Practical Application (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Leslie Fitzpatrick.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Although often viewed as disparate fields of practice, bioarchaeology and forensic archaeology share a number of commonalities in their approaches to human remains recovery techniques. To address the theoretical and methodological intersection and divergence of these two fields, a case study involving the recovery of remains from a historic...

  • A New Tool for Forensic Geoarchaeology: Sediment Fingerprinting with Geochemistry for Homicide Investigations (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Christopher Eck. E. Christian Wells.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Sediment fingerprinting by elemental analysis has been an important analytical tool in the environmental sciences to help explain sediment movement and deposition in water bodies and other catchments. Related techniques have also been used in many archaeological investigations to aid in ancient activity area analysis. However, this technique has...

  • Standards for Crime Scene Investigation: An OSAC Update (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Kimberlee Moran.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) is a federal effort coordinated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create standards of best practice for all disciplines within forensic science. In 2015, NIST created an OSAC subcommittee to address the lack of standards within crime scene investigation. ...

  • Unearthing the Truth: Exhumation of a Catholic priest to establish paternity (2019)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ann Marie Mires.

    This is an abstract from the "Forensic Archaeology: Research & Practice" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. A niche is opening for Forensic Archaeologists to assist in establishing paternity to Catholic priests through exhumation. In June 2018, I was contacted by Jim Graham who for 25 years has tried to prove that he is the son of a deceased Catholic priest after being presented with an obituary and told the man could be his biological father....