Maximisation of postmortem information for identification of severely incinerated victims

Abstract

The identification of victims of incineration events can be an intensive and daunting task as the usual comparison methods, including visual, fingerprint, and DNA, may not be possible due to the destruction of postmortem tissue. Dental comparison may also not be possible due to damage and further loss of what remains of the fragile dental tissues. The aim of this thesis is to provide knowledge and practical suggestions to assist the identification of deceased persons through the successful recognition, retrieval, stabilisation and treatment of postmortem information from incinerated human remains together with prosthetic devices and materials within them to facilitate more successful identification outcomes. The stabilisation of fragile dental remains was the first step in successful retrieval of information and following pilot studies; non-volatile Clag™ paste solution stabilising agent was identified as the material of choice. Further testing on sheep heads, then trials on human mandibles, produced positive results. An alternative of using a plain flour solution is also offered where Clag™ paste is unavailable. In parallel studies for cases where dentition would not be available, the retrieval of numerical data from the most commonly placed hip and knee incinerated implants was investigated and the use of information from cochlear implants, dental implants and gold alloy analysis were also considered. This research has proposed practical suggestions that have already been placed into practice to maximise postmortem information of severely incinerated victims.