Application of archaeometric methods to forensic anthropology casework to resolve medicolegal significance

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Human remains cases processed through the medicolegal system come from a variety of different circumstances. Protohistoric and prehistoric human remains are often submitted to law enforcement, and these remains often lack burial context and provenience. This presents a problem not only for law enforcement, who curate the remains as an unresolved case, but also for tribal communities who want ancestors repatriated. If the remains are Indigenous, lack of resolution means that the ancestors of a tribe are not rightfully reunited with their people. In forensic anthropology casework where it is suspected that remains could be archaeological, a triage method is needed for determining medicolegal significance. Archaeometric methods, such as radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis, can provide information that can resolve these cases and lead to successful repatriation. Radiocarbon dating can determine whether remains are ancient, historic, or modern, whereas stable isotope analysis can be used to provenance remains to possible regions where they originated. We report on four case studies from California that demonstrate the use of these methods to resolve forensic anthropology cases that were not of medicolegal interest.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38889.0