From a skeleton, a skull, a mere fragment of burnt thighbone, Dr. William Maples can deduce the age, gender, and ethnicity of a murder victim, the manner in which the person was dispatched, and, ultimately, the identity of the killer. In Dead Men Do Tell Tales, Dr. Maples revisits his strangest, most interesting, and most horrific investigations, from the baffling cases of conquistador Francisco Pizarro and Vietnam MIAs to the mysterious deaths of President Zachary Taylor and the family of Czar Nicholas II.
In 1987, a skeleton was turned up near a Boy Scout camp in Missouri. A forensic anthropologist was brought and, using clues from the skeleton and some decaying clothes found nearby, determined that the victim was a young Asian woman. From there, police where able to determine the identity first of the victim and then of her killer. Using the Missouri case as a jumping-off point, The Bone Detectives provides an introduction for young readers to the science of forensics. Written for curious readers who are approaching adolescence, this book is sure to appeal to the nearly universal interest that age group exhibits for the macabre and the horrible.
Links have recently been established between the study of death assemblages by archaeologists and paleontologists (taphonomy) and the application of physical anthropology concepts to the medicolegal investigation of death (forensic anthropology). Forensic Taphonomy explains these links in a broad-based, multidisciplinary volume. It applies taphonomic models in modern forensic contexts and uses forensic cases to extend taphonomic theories. Review articles, case reports, and chapters on methodology round out this book's unique approach to forensic science.
The scope of this book is wide-ranging and includes methods of searching for and locating buried remains, their practical recovery, the decay of human and associated death scene materials, and their analysis and identification.
Intended for those who train and handle cadaver dogs, this book also encompasses information for those who work closely with them, such as police, death investigators, and anthropologists. Its interdisciplinary approach is useful to any member of a forensic team who regularly participates in or evaluates the results of the human remains search effort. Cadaver Dog Handbook is organized so that forensic specialists who are not themselves dog handlers will be able to access information about search techniques, contexts and documentation. Conversely, individuals interested primarily in training and handling will be able to focus on chapters devoted specifically to these subjects or expand their expertise to include more of the forensic framework.
Specialists provide an exhaustive and detailed protocol for determining and recording standardized information about human remains before they are repatriated to their Native American tribes or for other reasons are lost to further research. They also include protocols for more thorough study if the specimens remain available long enough. The procedures include sexing and aging, dental collection and study, postmortem changes, paleopathology, and cultural modification. Includes a large battery of forms for recording data. The results of the efforts were consolidated and presented in a seminar at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (no date noted).
Human Osteology, Second Edition is designed for students and professionals who wish to advance their osteological skills in terms of accurately identifying human skeletal remains, however isolated and fragmentary. These remains can then be used to deduce information about the original lives of the deceased individuals. This book will continue to be an essential text for courses on the human skeleton, as well as a basic reference and field manual for professional osteologists and anatomists, forensic scientists, paleontologists, and archaeologists. Human Osteology, Second Edition includes nearly a decade of advances in osteological research since the first edition. Each chapter has been strengthened and updated, including a new chapter on molecular osteology and four new case studies drawn from more recent research. This edition also includes a valuable guide to electronic resources in osteology.
This new book focuses on the challenges and responsibilities of the forensic scientist, the multidisciplinary nature of the work, and the international potential for the forensic sciences. An excellent introduction to the realities of the profession of forensic scientist. Trains in the description and analysis of human skeletal and dental remains. Offers a well-illustrated approach to osteology training, including: a concentration on vocabulary-building, the use of case studies, and a structured approach to skeletal analysis and report-writing. An excellent text for those considering the field of forensic science.
Dr. Ubelaker is curator of anthropology at the Smithsonian and regular consultant in forensic anthropology for the FBI laboratories. His collaboration with Scammell has produced a casebook written with verve, without sacrificing science. The two authors convey a substantial amount of anthropological information along with a view into the methods of those who piece together puzzles for a living, whether they be murder or anthropological mysteries.
Forensic archaeology has come into its own in recent years. The science has been making news in odd corners of the world for being used to identify the remains of long-lost Japanese soldiers on remote Pacific islands and for examining whether 19th-century American presidents might have met with foul play. In this accessible study, archaeologists John Prag and Richard Neave look into the world of "making faces"--reconstructing human forms from bits of bone, giving physical presence to the long-since dead. Among their subjects are King Midas of ancient Greek legend and the famous "bog man" of Lindow Moss, England.
A husband preserved in mothballs, a vigilante victim encased in red mud, and convicts beaten and burned in a prison riot are only a few of the cases of death examined here by forensic anthropologist Stanley Rhine. Drawing on cases he worked for the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, Rhine demonstrates how unidentified skeletal remains indicate race, sex, age, height, and ultimately identity and how the specialist decodes skeletal anomalies to establish cause of death. Blunt trauma, gunshot and knife wounds, and other injuries receive his attention. Step by step the author explains the techniques used to solve forensic mysteries. At the end of each case, he explains what lessons the forensic anthropologist learns from the bones. Rhine also explores specific problems and tasks: working mass disasters; recovering bodies from the field; defleshing bones; examining charred and badly decomposed remains; testifying before juries; and others.
The first non-fictional account by a female expert in the field of forensic anthropology, this book is a collection of short stories about forensic and bioarchaeology cases in Louisiana. Raised in a family of storytellers, the author weaves the history of her family into the accounts of her cases which include those that are both solved and unsolved. This account also illustrates how determination on one woman's part made it possible for her to rise to the top in an often male dominated field.
Beginning with the first-ever in-depth documentation of the history of forensic art, this book proceeds logically through explanations of facial anatomy, practical methodologies and techniques, case examples, and a glossary of terms. More than 700 illustrations and photographs depict art methods used in identifying and locating crime victims and criminal offenders. Numerous successful examples, taken from actual solved cases, demonstrate applications of the methods and techniques presented. Ideal for both forensic artists who want to improve their skills and those who work with them in law enforcement, Forensic Art and Illustration is a practical guide as well as a complete look at the state of the art of forensic illustration today.
Forensic analysis has become and will continue to be a complicated and highly specialized field of study. Forensic investigations require teams of specialists from many different scientific fields in addition to legal and law enforcement personnel. Of the many specialties that are used in death investigations, forensic anthropology is most often associated with the analysis of skeletalized human remains. This volume provides guidelines for determining when to include and how to choose a forensic anthropologist in your investigations. The Use of Forensic Anthropology is written with the assumption that the reader is not a trained anthropologist, and goes by the premise that most law enforcement professionals simply want to know how a forensic anthropologist is going to help them do their job. Many examples and anecdotes are offered by the authors, who strive to keep the text at a clear, readable level that is informative yet enjoyable to read. Jargon is purposefully kept to a minimum, but when it is used it is defined in context so that a common use and understanding of the terms can be achieved. Coroners, medical examiners, pathologists, crime scene investigators, local and state police, and anyone working in a crime laboratory can benefit from this easy to understand guide on when to use and how to choose a forensic anthropologist.
