A Companion to Forensic Anthropology

  A Companion to Forensic Anthropology explores the latest theoretical and methodological work in the field, and includes thorough and up–to–date bibliographies. A wide range of international experts provide a comprehensive assessment of the field of forensic anthropology. The Companion details how forensic professionals determine skeletal biological profiles and explores important new work on skeletal trauma analysis, forensic taphonomy, and statistical validation of forensic analytical methods. The contributors explain the methods and techniques of forensic archaeology, including the preservation of context at surface–scattered remains, buried bodies, and fatal fire scenes. The Companion also offers new perspectives on facial reconstruction; recovery and identification issues related to large–scale mass disaster scenes; mass grave excavation, and human rights goals and practices throughout the world.

List of Illustrations ix List of Tables xvi Notes on Contributors xvii About This Book xxix Acknowledgments xxxv Part I Introduction and Brief History of Forensic Anthropology 1 1 Forensic Anthropology: Embracing the New Paradigm 3 Dennis C. Dirkmaat and Luis L. Cabo Part II Recovery of Human Remains from Outdoor Contexts 41 Introduction to Part II 43 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 2 Documenting Context at the Outdoor Crime Scene: Why Bother? 48 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 3 Determining the Forensic Significance of Skeletal Remains 66 John J. Schultz 4 The Application of Ground–Penetrating Radar for Forensic Grave Detection 85 John J. Schultz 5 Crime Scene Perspective: Collecting Evidence in the Context of the Criminal Incident 101 Michael J. Hochrein 6 The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Recovery and Interpretation of the Fatal–Fire Victim 113 Dennis C. Dirkmaat, Gregory O. Olson, Alexandra R. Klales, and Sara Getz 7 Forensic Anthropology at the Mass Fatality Incident ( Commercial Airliner) Crash Scene 136 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 8 Mass Graves and Human Rights: Latest Developments, Methods, and Lessons Learned 157 Hugh H. Tuller 9 Archaeology, Mass Graves, and Resolving Commingling Issues through Spatial Analysis 175 Luis L. Cabo, Dennis C. Dirkmaat, James M. Adovasio, and Vicente C. Rozas Part III Developments in Forensic Osteology 197 Introduction to Part III 199 Luis L. Cabo 10 Developments in Forensic Anthropology: Age–at–Death Estimation 202 Heather M. Garvin, Nicholas V. Passalacqua, Natalie M. Uhl, Desina R. Gipson, Rebecca S. Overbury, and Luis L. Cabo 11 Skeletal Age Estimation: Where We Are and Where We Should Go 224 George R. Milner and Jesper L. Boldsen 12 Adult Sex Determination: Methods and Application 239 Heather M. Garvin 13 Sexual Dimorphism: Interpreting Sex Markers 248 Luis L. Cabo, Ciarán P. Brewster, and Juan Luengo Azpiazu 14 Morphoscopic Traits and the Assessment of Ancestry 287 Joseph T. Hefner, Stephen D. Ousley, and Dennis C. Dirkmaat 15 Fordisc 3 and Statistical Methods for Estimating Sex and Ancestry 311 Stephen D. Ousley and Richard L. Jantz 16 Estimating Stature 330 Stephen D. Ousley Part IV Developments in Human Skeletal Trauma Analysis 335 Introduction to Part IV 337 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 17 Interpreting Traumatic Injury to Bone in Medicolegal Investigations 340 Steven A. Symes, Ericka N. L’ Abbé, Erin N. Chapman, Ivana Wolff, and Dennis C. Dirkmaat 18 The Biomechanics of Gunshot Trauma to Bone: Research Considerations within the Present Judicial Climate 390 Hugh E. Berryman, Alicja K. Lanfear, and Natalie R. Shirley 19 Developments in Skeletal Trauma: Blunt–Force Trauma 400 Nicholas V. Passalacqua and Todd W. Fenton Part V Advances in Human Identification 413 Introduction to Part V 415 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 20 Advances in the Anthropological Analysis of Cremated Remains 418 Traci L. Van Deest, Michael W. Warren, and Katelyn L. Bolhofner 21 Human Identification Using Skull–Photo Superimposition and Forensic Image Comparison 432 Norman J. Sauer, Amy R. Michael, and Todd W. Fenton 22 DNA Analysis and the Classic Goal of Forensic Anthropology 447 Luis L. Cabo 23 DNA Identification and Forensic Anthropology: Developments in DNA Collection, Analysis, and Technology 462 David Boyer Part VI Forensic Taphonomy 471 Introduction to Part VI 473 Dennis C. Dirkmaat and Nicholas V. Passalacqua 24 Current Research in Forensic Taphonomy 477 Marcella H. Sorg, William D. Haglund, and Jamie A. Wren 25 The Use of Taphonomy in Forensic Anthropology: Past Trends and Future Prospects 499 Mark O. Beary and R. Lee Lyman Part VII Forensic Anthropology Beyond Academia 529 Introduction to Part VII 531 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 26 Forensic Anthropologists in Medical Examiner ’s and Coroner ’s Offices: A History 534 Hugh E. Berryman and Alicja K. Lanfear 27 Forensic Anthropology at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner 549 Christopher W. Rainwater, Christian Crowder, Kristen M. Hartnett, Jeannette S. Fridie, Benjamin J. Figura, Jennifer Godbold, Scott C. Warnasch, and Bradley J. Adams 28 The Many Hats of a Recovery Leader: Perspectives on Planning and Executing Worldwide Forensic Investigations and Recoveries at the JPAC Central Identification Laboratory 567 Paul D. Emanovsky and William R. Belcher Part VIII Forensic Anthropology Outside North America 593 Introduction to Part VIII 595 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 29 European Perspectives and the Role of the Forensic Archaeologist in the UK 598 Nicholas Márquez–Grant, Stephen Litherland, and Julie Roberts 30 The Establishment and Advancement of Forensic Anthropology in South Africa 626 Ericka N. L’ Abbé and Maryna Steyn 31 The Application of Forensic Anthropology to the Investigation of Cases of Political Violence 639 Luis Fondebrider Part IX Ethics, Overview, and the Future of Forensic Anthropology 649 Introduction to Part IX 651 Dennis C. Dirkmaat 32 The Pervasiveness of Daubert 654 Stephen D. Ousley and R. Eric Hollinger 33 Ethics in Forensic Anthropology 666 Diane L. France 34 An “Outsider” Look at Forensic Anthropology 683 James M. Adovasio Index 690

Dennis Dirkmaat is the Chair of the undergraduate program in Applied Forensic Sciences and the Masters of Science in Anthropology at Mercyhurst University. 

“In summary, Dirkmaat’s volume would seem to succeed in its stated goal of providing a timely and thorough supplement to generalized textbooks of forensic anthropology.”  Journal Forensic Sciences