Proposed Classes of Morphological Autopsy Findings for Decomposed and Skeletal Remains in Mass Death Investigations

Abstract

Analysis of mass death events, often involving partial or skeletal human remains, requires investigators to condense information on a large number of victims into a single report. Prosecution of war crimes typically requires that victims be categorized according to the injuries sustained. Reports recognizing only the presence or absence of trauma are misleading or misrepresentative. This study introduces a 4 class system for skeletal remains based on morphologic autopsy findings. Each class corresponds to the lethal potential of the trauma or pathologic conditions evident at autopsy, and the certainty with which cause of death can be determined. Data were extracted from 766 autopsy cases involving decomposed or skeletal remains from the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator in which cause and manner of death were ruled. Statistically significant associations between morphology class and the cause and manner of death, positive identification, and natural and non-natural deaths were evident in this study. Intraobserver and interobserver tests revealed excellent replicability and reliability in the assignment of morphology classes to individual cases. In addition to its mass death applications, this classification system offers potential research contributions to physical anthropologists and bioarchaeologists studying human populations in antiquity.

Patterns of Trauma in Conflict Victims from Timor Leste

“…Degree of trauma was recorded as absent, minor, or major following Komar et al. (7), in which Class IV trauma (nonlethal) was categorized as minor and Classes I, II, and III (lethal or lethal potential) were categorized as major. Decompositional stages fresh/bloated; active/advanced decomposition; and skeletal represent collapsed categories described previously (8,9).…”

“…Variables recorded included the following: the sex and estimated skeletal age of the victim; the degree of trauma; trauma type (blunt force [BFT], sharp force [SFT], gunshot wound [GSW], strangulation); decompositional stage; and percentage of body recovered. Degree of trauma was recorded as absent, minor, or major following Komar et al (7), in which Class IV trauma (nonlethal) was categorized as minor and Classes I, II, and III (lethal or lethal 1 School of Natural Science and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK. potential) were categorized as major.…”