Amy Z. Mundorff

Examination of DNA yield rates for different skeletal elements at increasing post mortem intervals

Identification of contemporary human remains by DNA STR testing is mainly limited by the ability to isolate sufficient amounts of DNA from the skeletal samples. A key part of this work relies on selection of the skeletal element with the best chance of obtaining a DNA STR profile. DNA was extracted from 55 bone samples, from 3 recently skeletonized individuals, representing most element types in the human body. Comparison of DNA yields from samples within an individual showed that the small cancellous bones on average have much higher amounts of DNA per unit mass than dense cortical bones. Complete 16 locus STR profiles were obtained for all 3 individuals from 36 of the element types, 10 had full profiles for 2 of the 3 individuals, 3 had full profiles for 1 of the 3 and 5 did not have any full profiles. The sample types with the least STR loci were from the arms. Ten skeletal elements were tested from 12 additional skeletons ranging from 3-21 years post mortem interval (PMI). At increasing PMI the small cancellous bones continued to yield more DNA and STR loci than the cortical bones. These findings suggest that the current recommendation for selection of long cortical bone samples for DNA testing of skeletal remains should be re-evaluated.

Integrating forensic anthropology into disaster victim identification

This paper will provide mass fatality emergency planners, police, medical examiners, coroners and other Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) personnel ways to integrate forensic anthropologists into DVI operations and demonstrate how anthropological contributions have improved DVI projects. In mass disaster situations, anthropologists have traditionally been limited to developing biological profiles from skeletal remains. Over the past decade, however, anthropologists’ involvement in DVI has extended well beyond this traditional role as they have taken on increasingly diverse tasks and responsibilities. Anthropological involvement in DVI operations is often dictated by an incident’s specific characteristics, particularly events involving extensive fragmentation, commingling, or other forms of compromised remains. This paper will provide examples from recent DVI incidents to illustrate the operational utility of anthropologists in the DVI context. The points where it is most beneficial to integrate anthropologists into the DVI process include: (1) during recovery at the disaster scene; (2) at the triage station as remains are brought into the mortuary; and (3) in conducting the reconciliation process. Particular attention will be paid to quality control and quality assurance measures anthropologists have developed and implemented for DVI projects. Overall, this paper will explain how anthropological expertise can be used to increase accuracy in DVI while reducing the project’s cost and duration.

Anthropologist-Directed Triage: Three Distinct Mass Fatality Events Involving Fragmentation of Human Remains

Identifying victims from mass fatality events requires the synchronization of several processes including, but not limited to, recovery, antemortem information collection, mortuary processes, death certification, family assistance, and finally, repatriation. This chapter will discuss one small aspect of the mortuary process, triage, and its interplay with other aspects of the process of identifying highly fragmented remains. Specifically, this paper will focus on anthropologist-directed triage and how it differed during the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 (Flight 587), and the crash of the Staten Island Ferry. Each of these incidents involved significant variation in the number of victims, the number of recovered human remains, their degree of fragmentation, site characteristics, and recovery processes. Each of these considerations affected the triage teams’ composition and duties.

Marrying Anthropology and DNA: Essential for Solving Complex Commingling Problems in Cases of Extreme Fragmentation

Abstract This chapter proceeds in two sections. The first section provides a historical overview of the process used to identify victims’ remains from the WTC disaster. This was an evolving process that adjusted over time, as new techniques were developed to address novel challenges. The second section provides a series of case examples illustrating some mistakes encountered with the identification of WTC victims and how the problems were resolved. As discussed in the following sections, the science of DNA identification was pushed forward by the efforts and expertise of those working on this project. The overriding purpose of this chapter is to provide future practitioners and policymakers a means of learning from the adaptations made during the early months of the WTC identification project as they plan and implement their own programs to prepare for future events.

Victim Fragmentation Patterns and Seat Location Supplements Crash Data: American Airlines Flight 587

INTRODUCTION In 2001, American Airlines flight 587 crashed shortly after takeoff. All 260 people aboard and 5 people on the ground were killed. This studys objective was to explore the extent of victim injuries and fragmentation patterns along with their assumed seat locations as related to the crash event and the planes structural damage. METHODS There were 2058 body fragments recovered and, of those, 1750 have been identified. Autopsy reports detailing injuries and extent of fragmentation, flight manifest, and the NTSB Aircraft Accident Report were examined for correlations among injuries, seat location, and crash event. Using the AIS as a model, a fragmentation scale was designed to record injury location and severity, with a focus on the extremities. RESULTS More whole bodies were recovered from victims seated on the planes right side and back half. Conversely, significantly more fragments for victims seated on the planes left side were recovered. The increased fragmentation from victims on the left side is an irregular pattern, particularly because the last information from the flight data recorder showed the planes sideslip to the right. However, there are no data for the flights final 13.6 s. Most eyewitnesses recount the plane rolling left before crashing. The increased fragmentation of victims seated on the left is consistent with structural damage from a left side impact, corroborating eyewitness accounts. CONCLUSIONS Correlating victim injuries and fragmentation patterns, seat location, and the planes structural damage can assist an investigation into plane crashes, particularly if flight data are missing.

Taking the Pulse of Forensic Anthropology in Canada

ABSTRACT The current state of forensic anthropology is evaluated by a limited cross-section of active practitioners from across Canada. The number of specialists undertaking casework in this area of forensic science is growing, as are expectations of the quality of our work from death investigative agencies nationally. However, the majority of forensic anthropologists in Canada are university-based and inadequately supported by their administrative units in terms of secure lab facilities and finances. Federal and Provincial funding agencies that could support research in this field and assist with creating infrastructure to meet emerging expectations of standards of forensic practice are by and large not doing so. Across Canada, unevenness of standards of training, practice and support reflects a lack of appreciation of forensic anthropology by society as a whole, as well as by funding agencies and the legal community. It also reflects the willingness of individual forensic anthropologists to accept this neglect and under-valuation of their work, likely because of a professional commitment to the task which they accept as a social responsibility. It is recommended that a national consensus of standards of practice, facilities and training be achieved among forensic anthropologists so as to place pressure on federal funding agencies in Canada to support forensic anthropology adequately in the future.

Evaluating differential nuclear DNA yield rates and osteocyte numbers among human bone tissue types: A synchrotron radiation micro-CT approach

Molecular human identification has conventionally focused on DNA sampling from dense, weight-bearing cortical bone tissue, typically from femora or tibiae. A comparison of skeletal elements from three contemporary individuals demonstrated that elements with high quantities of cancellous bone yielded nuclear DNA at the highest rates, suggesting that preferentially sampling cortical bone may be suboptimal (Mundorff & Davoren, 2014). Despite these findings, the reason for the differential DNA yields between cortical and cancellous bone tissues remains unknown. The primary goal of this work is to ascertain whether differences in bone microstructure can be used to explain differential nuclear DNA yield among bone tissue types observed by Mundorff and Davoren (2014), with a focus on osteocytes and the three-dimensional (3D) quantification of their associated lacunae. Osteocytes and other bone cells are recognized to house DNA in bone tissue, thus examining the density of their lacunae may explain why nuclear DNA yield rates differ among bone tissue types. Lacunae were visualized and quantified using synchrotron radiation-based micro-Computed Tomographic imaging (SR micro-CT). Volumes of interest (VOIs) from cortical and cancellous bone tissues (n=129) were comparatively analyzed from the three skeletons sampled for Mundorff and Davorens (2014) study. Analyses tested the primary hypothesis that the abundance and density of osteocytes (inferred from their lacunar spaces) vary between cortical and cancellous bone tissue types. Results demonstrated that osteocyte lacunar abundance and density vary between cortical and cancellous bone tissue types, with cortical bone VOIs containing a higher lacunar abundance and density. We found that the osteocyte lacunar density values are independent of nuclear DNA yield, suggesting an alternative explanation for the higher nuclear DNA yields from bones with greater quantities of cancellous bone tissue. The use of SR micro-CT allowed for a scale of analysis that revealed a high range of variation in lacunar abundance in both tissue types. Moreover, high-resolution SR micro-CT imaging revealed potential soft tissue remnants within marrow spaces not visible macroscopically. It is hypothesized that soft tissue remnants observed among the trabeculae of skeletal elements with high quantities of cancellous bone tissue are responsible for the high nuclear DNA yields. These findings have significant implications for bone-sample selection for nuclear DNA analysis in a forensic context when skeletal remains are recovered from the ground surface.

Anthropologist-Directed Triage: Three Distinct Mass Fatality Events Involving Fragmentation and Commingling of Human Remains

Abstract Identifying victims from mass fatality events requires the synchronization of several processes including, but not limited to, remains recovery, antemortem information collection, mortuary processes, death certification, family assistance, and finally, repatriation. Many different forensic disciplines are involved in recovering and identifying disaster victims. In particular, anthropologists have increasingly been involved with disaster victim identification in various roles from recovery and mortuary personnel to, more recently, management positions. This chapter discusses one small aspect of the mortuary process, triage, and its interplay with other aspects of identifying highly fragmented and commingled human remains. Specifically, this chapter focuses on anthropologist-directed triage and how it differed during three distinct mass fatality incidents: the World Trade Center disaster, the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, and the crash of the Staten Island Ferry. Each of these incidents involved significant variation in the number of victims, the number of recovered human remains, their degree of fragmentation, the site characteristics, and the recovery processes. Each of these considerations affected the triage teams’ composition and duties.Identifying victims from mass fatality events requires the synchronization of several processes including, but not limited to, remains recovery, antemortem information collection, mortuary processes, death certification, family assistance, and finally, repatriation. Many different forensic disciplines are involved in recovering and identifying disaster victims. In particular, anthropologists have increasingly been involved with disaster victim identification in various roles from recovery and mortuary personnel to, more recently, management positions. This chapter discusses one small aspect of the mortuary process, triage, and its interplay with other aspects of identifying highly fragmented and commingled human remains. Specifically, this chapter focuses on anthropologist-directed triage and how it differed during three distinct mass fatality incidents: the World Trade Center disaster, the crash of American Airlines Flight 587, and the crash of the Staten Island Ferry. Each of these incidents involved significant variation in the number of victims, the number of recovered human remains, their degree of fragmentation, the site characteristics, and the recovery processes. Each of these considerations affected the triage teams’ composition and duties.

An Evaluation of the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification DNA Operation

ABSTRACT The Thai Tsunami Victim Identification operation was the largest disaster victim identification operation in history, involving 3,679 unidentified victims from 41 countries, and police and forensic scientists from over 30 countries. This paper evaluates the DNA response to the 26 December 2004 South-East Asia Tsunami, measuring its impact at different stages of the operation. Only 15 identifications were established using DNA during the first 5 months, compared to 307 by fingerprints, 1,266 by dental, and 11 by physical analysis. Critical obstacles, such as available ante-mortem and post-mortem DNA profiles, data management challenges, and automated DNA matching issues were impeding the DNA response. Recognizing and resolving the key issues hindering DNA identification resulted in increased DNA identifications during the middle and late stages of the operation. Consideration of victim demographics was crucial to understanding the impact of different identification methods during the operation. DNA identifications were found to be primarily dependent on victim age and nationality. A large proportion of children from all nations were identified by DNA (33% of 10 to 16 year olds, 43% of 5 to 9 year olds, and 73% of 0 to 4 year olds), while only 13% of total adult identifications were supported though DNA analysis. Similarly, while DNA identified only 2% of adults from Finland, France, Germany, and Sweden combined, DNA was responsible for 30% of Thai adult identifications. By 16 July 2008, 3,308 victims were identified: 799 (24%) by DNA, 1,337 (40%) by dental, 1,142 (35%) by fingerprint, and 30 (1%) by physical characteristics.

Differential Decomposition Among Pig, Rabbit, and Human Remains

While nonhuman animal remains are often utilized in forensic research to develop methods to estimate the postmortem interval, systematic studies that directly validate animals as proxies for human decomposition are lacking. The current project compared decomposition rates among pigs, rabbits, and humans at the University of Tennessees Anthropology Research Facility across three seasonal trials that spanned nearly 2 years. The Total Body Score (TBS) method was applied to quantify decomposition changes and calculate the postmortem interval (PMI) in accumulated degree days (ADD). Decomposition trajectories were analyzed by comparing the estimated and actual ADD for each seasonal trial and by fuzzy cluster analysis. The cluster analysis demonstrated that the rabbits formed one group while pigs and humans, although more similar to each other than either to rabbits, still showed important differences in decomposition patterns. The decomposition trends show that neither nonhuman model captured the pattern, rate, and variability of human decomposition.