Estimating the Date of Bone Remains: A Multivariate Study

Abstract

In previous works we have studied the time of death of bone residuals through the following parameters: total lipids, triglicerides, cholesterol, free fatty acids, total proteins, zinc, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. These elements were quantified in groups of recent bones of 1 and 2 years and of 10, 15, 18, and 20 years postmortem. In this present work we are putting these results under statistical analysis consisting of a stepwise regression. This program selects and introduces in the regression the element that shows the highest correlation with the time of death. In successive steps the partial correlations between the date and the elements not already included in the regression are studied, while keeping the effects of the elements already included fixed. As a result we put forward three formulas in which the time of death appears linked with the parameters that define it best. In the first the time of death of the bones Y is estimated according to the protein X1. Y = 40.0014 − 7.4275X1 In the second formula the time of death Y, is estimated according to proteins X1 and triglicerides X2. Y = 45.5970 − 10.8096X1 + 0.4104X2 And in the thrid formula the time of death Y is estimated according to proteins X1, triglicerides X2, and cholesterol X3. Y = 52.2032 − 7.8213X1 + 0.6355X2 − 3.4930 In the three formulas the coefficients of the correlation between the time of death and the variables are improved when the logarithms of the variables are taken, instead of the original measurements.

The elusive universal post-mortem interval formula

“…), inorganic methods, botanical and others (clothing decomposition, bone scattering, algor mortis, gastric contents, etc.) [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. The more accurate the method, the longer and more complicated the laboratory analyses become, potentially taking months to complete and have been known to significantly delay criminal investigations.…”

Dating skeletal remains with luminol-chemiluminescence. Validity, intra- and interobserver error

“…In the scientific literature one encounters various methodological approaches and references to literature covering this topic without, however, finding an ultimate solution to the problem of determining the post mortem interval [2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

Skeletal Remains Submerged in Mediterranean Sea for Eight Years: Histological Observations

“…The post mortem histological modifications of human bones and the time in which they are carried out have been widely described and reported in literature [1][2][3][4][5][6] but such remarks refer to buried bone remains, exposed to the action of various climactic factors and/or the micro-macro fauna [7,8], but few studies concern the modifications of bones immersed in water.…”