ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Page Count: 12

Problems of Recovering Partial Human Remains at Different Times and Locations: Concerns for Death Investigators
Reay, DT
Chief Medical Examiner and Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine,

Haglund, WD
Chief Medical Investigator, King County Medical Examiner's Office and Affiliate Assistant Professor, University of Washington, WA

(Received 28 April 1992; accepted 29 May 1992)

Abstract

Examples of cases where partial remains of the same individual were recovered at different times and from separate locations are presented. Such remains raise unique problems for coroner/medical examiners and police because their discovery has the potential to confound identification and disrupt investigative continuity. Recovered partial human remains highlight the need for their proper documentation and raise the question of their release for burial or retention for evidence.

Keywords:
physical anthropology, forensic anthropology, partial skeletons, taphonomy, disposition

Paper ID: JFS13377J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS13377J
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