archaeology

Solving The Osteological Conundrum Of Buried Human Remains: What can your local archaeologist offer?

by James Batchelor

Forensic science and crime scene investigation both involve looking at and interpreting the available evidence from the scene of a crime. These developing fields of study are important to the present and future of law enforcement practices.

Forensic science, crime scene investigation and archaeology all involve similar approaches. The essence of these professions is to reconstruct previous human actions. To propose likely scenarios about past events it is necessary to investigate physical remains, whether they be objects, corpses or residues.

There are benefits which archaeology can offer to forensic science; archaeology can assist the police in the investigation of particular crimes, mainly those that leave buried remains or evidence. Most police officers will only occasionally investigate such buried data , whereas archaeologists are dealing with this sort of material all the time. This was first pointed out in the UK by Dr Charlotte Roberts in the Stephen Jennings case, when the police were excavating remains of a murder victim. She suggested that the equipment and techniques of archaeology could be usefully employed by the police in saving time and valuable evidence.

Archaeology is, by its very nature, multidisciplinary and draws from a wide range of other subjects. For instance, geology, osteopathology, chemistry and computing are some of the skills used. Field archaeologists are detectives of the past, a title often used by the public. Archaeologists have expertise in excavating evidence, removing it from the ground and interpreting it.

Police need to maximise the amount of data available, but are also operating within budgetary constraints. It may often the be more cost-efficient to use outside specialists or to hire equipment for particular tasks. This may mean involving archaeologists and using the technology available to them.

1.1 Anthropology & Osteopathology
Human skeletal remains provide a wealth of information, this information being the marks, shapes and texture of the make-up of bone. With this information it is possible to reconstruct a person’s appearance. For example, from the marks left by muscle it would be possible to indicate whether someone was of a muscular or slim build. Similarly, from indications of stress in bones it would be possible to determine whether the person was left- or right-handed. With these and similar conclusions such as sex, age and race, and any disease that the individual might have suffered from, a biological profile or osteobiography can be produced. From this it would be possible to match with medical records, and so help identify the victim. These methods have been employed by police departments and medical examiners in the USA where the numbers of cases involving buried remains are somewhat higher than in the UK. As described by Dr Walter Birkby this information along with reports from the Medical Examiners Office are passed back to the police to be fed into the national database of missing persons. From all this information, nine times out of ten there is a short list of missing persons from which a positive ID can now be made.

1.2 Geophysics
Archaeology uses geophysics to detect underground anomalies such as remains of buildings, or the signature of field workings such as ploughing where the soil has been disturbed and has not been compacted to the same density as the surrounding soil. It is possible for an archaeological geophysicist to identify smaller anomalies such as pits and post-holes. In archaeology, geophysics is used to identify a site and decide which areas to start investigating. Similarly, in crime scene work the use of geophysical equipment would allow a survey of possible areas of buried evidence and help to pinpoint further areas of interest, saving police from spending time searching or excavating large areas. Geophysics can also identify graves, metal and other buried objects. The necessary equipment is expensive and would not be used often enough by police to justify purchase. However, such equipment is accessible to most archaeologists, who are either themselves experienced in its use, or in contact with others who are.

1.3 Survey
Mapping of a site is something that archaeologists do as a matter of course. The archaeological site is irreplaceable; when it has been removed by archaeologists during excavation, it has been destroyed for ever. Consequently the site is usually mapped by different methods, such as a scale drawing or by the use of Electromagnetic Distance Measurer (EDM). An EDM is used to make very accurate maps. The information is downloaded into a computer, which can produce a map onto which further information can be added, such as different symbols for different types of object or biological remains found at a particular point. This form of mapping highlights distributions and their significance. On a crime scene evidence could be mapped and recorded by using an EDM and a very accurate visual map could be taken very quickly without the use of a tape or compass. Further descriptive information can be added to produce a clear record of the very high standard that is increasingly required by police forces for court evidence. At present, many police forces are using this equipment in Road Traffic Units, but it is usually in great demand. Archaeologists would have this equipment available for police use when needed.

1.4 Environmental Archaeology & Palynology
Archaeology tries to identify the surroundings of individuals being excavated. From the information collected it is possible to reconstruct the climate, geology, vegetation and time of year that certain activities were carried out. This information can be made more relevant to forensics. It is possible to identify how and when graves were dug. The time of year can be calculated from pollen and vegetation samples. Certain plant species can be used to determine when a body was deposited in the ground with relative accuracy. For example, pollen from oak trees only falls for a specific fortnightly-period every year. Also, with soil samples from suspects’ clothing or footwear it is possible to suggest a match of location to a burial or crime-scene. This has been used in several cases where environmental evidence has given the date and other information to link a suspect to a crime-scene. Similarly, pollen and soil may give indications of the origins of buried explosives, weapons and drugs. For example, samples of cannabis could be linked to their likely areas of growth by tracing pollen to specific locations.

Although there are few cases of buried murder victims in this country, archaeology can determine whether bones are human or animal. Problems like this occur frequently and archaeologists can usually answer questions on scene without too much effort, but it might also be useful to offer assistance with the training of officers to distinguish animal from human bone. Mapping of the distribution of remains from large accidents or incidents is another field for co-operation.

This short paper has attempted to summarise some areas where archaeologists may be able to help police investigations, either directly at the scene of a suspected crime or through subsequent analysis of discoveries made at the site. Training may be another area for consideration.

Acknowledgements
Mr D Hinton Southampton University Department of Archaeology
Dr J Steele Southampton University Department of Archaeology
Prof. W Birkby Arizona State University
Leica Instruments EDM Equipment Suppliers
Geological Surveys Ltd Archaeological Geophysicists
BBC Television
James Batchelor
Department Of Archaeology
Southampton University
University Road
Southamtpton UK