Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2012 | Page 45

FORENSICS JOURNAL

Traditional archaeologists and forensic anthropologists, by training
and experience, could be considered experts in the identification of
human remains, determining their age at death, as well as gender and
race. Because of the infinite number of variable situations in which
remains are found, and the individuality of the remains, new methods
to identify remains are always being advanced, limited only by the
researcher’s questions.

JPAC utilized both archaeologists as well as forensic anthropologists,
in addition to other specialists, in their recovery and identification
of American service members. Recovery teams consist of archaeologists, forensic photographers, forensic anthropologists, linguists,
medics, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, mortuary specialists,
and others. As with their counterparts in the criminal justice field,
JPAC has the good fortune of having records with which to compare
remains for identification, and sometimes dog tags. The process of
identifying remains is still long and tedious. Unlike the depiction in
current television shows, recovery and identification of remains can
take months and sometimes years (Tom, 2010, p. 5).

REFERENCES
American Board of Forensic Anthropologists (ABFA) http://www.
theabfa.org

Once a location has been identified, and approved for excavation, a
forensic anthropologist will help lead a team to excavate the site, collecting any bones and other contextual evidence to assist in a positive
identification. Contextual evidence can include clothing scraps, dog
tags, and other personal effects (Reichs, 2010, p. 20-26). Complete
biological and medical histories are compiled for the remains, to be
compared with known information about an individual. Even after
identification has been made multiple professionals review the data to
verify the findings are correct (Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, Overview).

Anderson, B. E. (2008, January). Identifying the Dead: Methods Utilized by the Pima Country (Arizona) Office of the Medical Examiner
for Undocumented Border Crossers: 2001-2006. Journal of Forensic
Sciences, 53(1), 8-15.
Bass, B., & Jefferson, J. (2003). Death’s Acre: Inside the Legendary
Forensic Lab - the Body Farm - Where the Dead Do Tell Tales. New
York: Berkley Publishing Group.
Bass, W. (2005). Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual
(5th ed.). Springfield, MO: Missouri Archaeological Society.

Not only do scientists at JPAC search for missing service members
in the theaters of war, but they also identify remains of unknown
soldiers in military cemeteries. An ongoing project is to identify the
remains of Korean War Unknowns in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Historians use primary and secondary resources, date of loss, battlefield information, etc., to compile a
possible names list for use when remains are exhumed (Tom, 2010, p.
16). Not only does the historical information assist in identifying the
unknown remains to be returned to family members, researchers are
correcting information which was incorrectly filed in the 1950s, such
as date of loss, using the many resources available.

Doyle, A. C. (1894). The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. New York:
Harper & Brothers.
Haglund, W. D., & Sorg, M. H. (1996). Forensic Taphonomy: The
Postmortem Fate of Human Remains. New York: CRC Press.
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command. (2011). Mission Overview Retrieved from Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
website: http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/index.php?page=mission_
overview&size=100&ind=0
Reichs, K. (2010). Spider Bones: a novel. New York: Scribner.

Scientists at JPAC develop new methods to assist in identifying
remains. Currently being researched are the use of chest radiographs
to identify World War II and Korean War service members, sex and
stature determination using the patella (knee cap), and the use of
mtDNA to sort co-mingled remains (Tom, 2010, p. 17-21). These
research projects are possible because of the ability to narrow the
field of possible identities. These new methods of identifying skeletal
remains not only assist JPAC team members to repatriate missing
service members, but also forensic anthropologists to identify crime
victims.

Sykes, B. (2001). The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That
Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Tom, S. (2010). JPAC Fiscal Annual Report 2010. Retrieved from
Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command website: http://www.jpac.
pacom.mil/Downloads/JPAC%20Annual%20Report/JPAC_
FY2010_report.pdf
Wenke, R. J., & Olszewski, D. I. (2007). Patterns in Prehistory:
Humankind’s first three million years (5th ed.). New York: Oxford
University Press.

CONCLUSION
The identification of human remains is a difficult, yet rewarding
task. Multi-disciplinary techniques are required as it is rare to find
intact skeletal remains with photo identification. The field of possible
identities must be narrowed using the social and physical sciences.

What is Forensic Anthropology? [American Board of Forensic Anthropologists]. (2008). Retrieved from American Board of Forensic
Anthropologists website: http://www.theabfa.org/
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