ISSN: 0022-1198
CODEN: JFSCA
Published Online: 1 September 2002
Page Count: 4

Identifying Chop Marks on Cremated Bone: A Preliminary Study
Gruchy, S
University of Alberta, Alberta

Rogers, TL
University of Toronto, Ontario

(Received 23 February 2002; accepted 18 February 2002)

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the effects of burning on hacking trauma inflicted with a cleaver and to assess the diag-nostic potential of cleaver marks exposed to fire. Thirty pig forelimbs (radius and ulna) and 30 beef ribs were each subjected to five blows with a cleaver and five cuts with a knife prior to burning in an outdoor fire. Bones were deliberately agitated to ensure maximum cremation and induce fragmentation. Results indicate that hacking weakens bone, making fire-induced fragmentation more likely at the sites of trauma. Chop marks were easily identified on burned bone, their characteristics largely unaffected by cremation.

Keywords:
forensic science, animal bone, cleaver, cremation, hacking trauma, heat fractures

Paper ID: JFS15506J
DOI: 10.1520/JFS15506J
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