Jean-Pol Beauthier

Mass Disaster Victim Identification: The Tsunami Experience

One of the most important reasons to identify unknown persons is because non-identification may result in nu- merous issues at emotional and legal level for the surviving family members and friends. To reach a level of scientific supported positive identification, which can withstand international legal scrutiny, the identi- fication process of mass disaster victims requires a well-structured and pre-planned management based upon the interna- tional Interpol DVI Standing Committee guidelines. The handling of the December 2004 Tsunami disaster, affecting people of different nationalities and ethnic origins, will be used as an example to illustrate this methodology and standard operating protocols which can be used under similar circumstances. The activities of the Belgian DVI Team in the Khao Lak area, as part of the multinational help force bringing assistance to the local Thai law enforcement agencies, is discussed. Taking part in the first operations of identification, we were confronted with the hard reality of the hugeness of this plane- tary tragedy having made on the whole more than 200,000 victims. Differences in composition of the teams and their working philosophies are illustrated, based on the experience of the Belgian multidisciplinary team including scientific forensic experts (pathology, anthropology, odontology), police offi- cers, members of the civil protection (with their technical capabilities in particular working conditions), but also a physi- cian, a nurse and a stress team. Some of the applied methods and techniques used in the identification process were reviewed and suggestions given about how improvements can be made for future reference.

Autopsy and Identification Techniques

Autopsy – different steps 1.

Body mass prediction from femoral volume and sixteen other femoral variables in the elderly: BMI and adipose tissue effects.

OBJECTIVES The frequently used prediction equations of body mass do not seem appropriate for elderly individuals. Here, we establish the relationship between femoral dimensions and known body mass in elderly individuals in order to develop prediction formulas and identify the factors affecting their accuracy. MATERIALS AND METHODS The body mass linear least-squares regression is based on 17 femoral dimensions, including femoral volume, and 66 individuals. Body proportion and composition effects on accuracy are analyzed by means of the body mass index (BMI) and on a subset sample (n = 25), by means of the masses of adipose, bone and muscle tissues. RESULTS Most variables significantly reflect body mass. Among them, six dimensions (e.g., biepicondylar breadth, femoral volume, and head femoral diameter) present percent standard errors of estimate ranging from 9.5 to 11% (r = 0.72-0.81) in normal BMI samples. Correlations are clearly lower in samples with normal and abnormal BMI [r = 0.38-0.58; % of standard error of estimate (SEE) = 17.3-19.6%] and not significantly correlated in females (femoral volume) who present high proportions of abnormal BMI and adipose tissue. In the subset, femoral volume is well correlated with bone mass (r = 0.88; %SEE = 7.9%) and lean body mass (r = 0.67; %SEE = 17.2%). DISCUSSION Our body mass estimation equations for elderly individuals are relevant since relatively low correlations are recurrent in studies using younger individuals of known body mass. However, age, sex, lifestyle, and skeleton considerations of studied populations can provide information about the relevance of the body mass estimation, which is dependent on the BMI classification and the proportion of adipose tissue. Our general considerations can be used for studies of younger individuals.

Anthropology: Forensic Anthropology and Childhood

The death of a fetus or child due to maltreatment raises many forensic as well as physiological issues. Forensic anthropological techniques using medical imaging of bones are very useful in analyzing the sequelae in infantile abuse or ‘shaken baby syndrome.’ In infanticide and fetus death, anthropological characteristics and clinical parameters of age estimation are also of high importance. The contribution of forensic anthropology to the pathologist’s examination is of fundamental importance. The field of forensic anthropology is complicated and requires a multidisciplinary approach.