Anthropology

The discipline of forensic anthropology is historically an extension of the well recognised science of physical anthropology. In general, physical anthropology is defined as the study of the human skeleton, and the differences exhibited between people from different racial groups and/or geographical locations. When utilized in a forensic context, the science of anthropology is related to the legal process, and attempts to aid the forensic pathologist in their investigations into the death of an individual.

Forensic anthropology is now recognised as a discipline in its own right, and contributes significantly to the determination of the provenance and identity of unknown skeletal remains which come under the jurisdiction of the Victorian State Coroner. To this end, the forensic anthropologist needs to have a sound grounding not only in human skeletal anatomy, but also in the effects of trauma, time, burial, and other taphonomic factors upon skeletal remains. The forensic anthropologist is also required to have a sound understanding of the legal processes which apply in his or her particular jurisdiction.

Determination of gender, racial affiliation, stature, age.

It is only rarely that anthropology will be able to determine a definitive identity from skeletal remains, and this will only occur when the bones exhibit some peculiarity or surgical artifact which can be found on ante-mortem records. The main thrust of the forensic anthropologists work is to reduce the scope of the investigation into the identity of the unknown remains by determining such things as the gender, racial affiliation, stature, and age of the person who, in life, clothed the bones.

The determination of gender alone immediately eliminates fifty percent of the population. If age and stature can be estimated, then the scope of the investigation can be narrowed even further, and concentrated upon the most promising areas of enquiry, so saving valuable resources, and increasing the chances for a successful positive identification.

Analysis of trauma, time since death

Forensic anthropologists also have a role in analyzing trauma to skeletal remains. Often questions arise as to whether such trauma was incurred before, during, or after the death of the individual, and if the trauma was due to human, animal, or some other process. Occasionally, such trauma will reveal the cause of death of an individual, such as in the case of gun shot wounds. The condition of the bones may also enable the forensic anthropologist to estimate the length of time the person has been dead, and so determine if the remains are of forensic or archaeological interest.

Excavation of mass graves and victim identification

The investigations of mass graves, present as a result of attempted genocide of a particular ethnic or religious group, inevitably require the services of forensic anthropologists. This is due to the fact that most of the individuals interred in this manner are partially or completely skeletonised by the time they are discovered, and even the task of separating the bones into the correct individuals can be a difficult and time consuming task. Often it is the forensic anthropologist who has the necessary expertise to excavate and sort through these commingled remains in an orderly manner, so as to maximise the preservation of evidence, both for the sake of identification of victims, and for the discovery of the perpetrators of these heinous acts. 

Expertise

The consultant forensic anthropologist to the VIFM has 20 years experience in the field, and has worked in such places as the investigation of mass graves in East Timor, and in Bali in the identification of victims of the terrorist bombing of October 2002. There is currently a PhD student working in this field in addition to the head consultant, and as technology and knowledge grow, the contribution of forensic anthropology to death investigation within Victoria is becoming more important and relevant to the legal process.