Forensic Field Techniques on Human Remains

Forensic Field Techniques on Human Remains

Identification of Human Remains

Experts in the field of forensic suggest that dealing with human bones both at professional and personal level is the most challenging and daunting tasks of all when compared with other duties of police work. There is lot of stress attached to working with human remains and traces. Mostly, investigators and policemen get only one chance to collect and document all the required material with regards to their investigation therefore it is extremely important to follow the correct path. It is crucial to follow the required procedures and also call in the specialists at the right time. Another most important that can provide with rewarding results and outcomes with respect to investigation is the selection of right specialists for providing assistance and expert opinion on the subject. Forensic anthropologists along with doctors can also play an important role in assisting the investigators and policemen through scientific research and analysis and as to how to use the human remains and maximize the potential use of the found evidence. the forensic's process of finding human remains starts off with identification of the human remains, searching for the remains with the help of grid research, developing and establishing the limitations of the sight for step by step process and how and when specialists and experts fro mthe field of forensic botany, forensic entomology, forensic anthropology can help. Additionally it also include an analysis of special situation invovling water and fire. The most important thing and first stage is to understand how a living individual transformed in to bones and human remains. At the start of forensic process the only two things that spsecialists and investigators are sure of is the time and location of the body or when and where the body was found. But it has been suggested that careful study of human remains and analysis of other variables affecting the process of decomposition can actually lead towards identification of actual time when the death occurred and this is where understanding of the decomposition stages become extremely crucial.

Decomposition Timeline

Research suggests that human decomposition starts right after 4 minutes of death. The decomposition process starts off with a process known as autolysis which is a self digestion process and is initiated as the body cells cannot get enough oxygen the composition of carbondioxide in boyd increases, waste products start to accumulate, pH decreases and the overall result is the poisoning of cells (Vass, 2001).

Post Mortem Interval

Post Mortem Interval refers to the time interval between when the person actually became deceased and when the body was discovered. This interval can range from minutes, hours, days, weeks and years in terms of discovery of the dead body after the person actually died. Therefore the correct identification of PMI is extremely important in all investigation to figure out the correct time at which the person died (Goff, 2009).

Stages of Decomposition

It is actually the stages of decomposition that can help and guide in determination of ...