The Use of Forensic Anthropology Methods in Historic Cases

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

"Historic" is a term commonly used in archaeology and bioarcheology but is not typically associated with forensic anthropology. However, historic cases have been brought to forensic anthropology labs, where biological profiles are built using forensic anthropological methods. These osteological methods used within forensic anthropology can be applied to historic cases, as seen in the cases from Beaverhead County, Montana. The initial request for this study came from an individual that believed a deceased family member had not been transferred to a new cemetery. During the initial exhumation done by the City of Missoula, three individuals were discovered and transported to the Montana State Crime Lab, where they were transferred to the University of Montana. Sex, age, stature, ancestry, and pathology were estimated using forensic anthropology and bioarcheology methods in order to aid in identification. Analysis of sexually dimorphic traits of the skull and pelvis were used for sex estimation. Known changes within the pelvis and skull were used to estimate age-at-death. Morphological characteristic and cranial measurement were used in correspondence with FORDISC 3.1.’s statistical analyses to determined ancestry. Trauma and pathological analysis were performed and corroborated by Dr. Aldo Fusaro of the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula, MT.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24919