When identity is not reached: two cases from Brasilia

Abstract

When human remains are examined, three questions always need to be answered: who is the deceased, what was the cause of death, and when did the death occur, the former question being the most relevant. The identification of half or fully skeletonized human remains is a complex process and always requires the use of methods that allow individualization beyond any reasonable doubt. However, no matter how vigorous the search for identification, this is not always achieved. Here, the author presents two cases in which identification was exhaustively attempted but not achieved despite the existence of an osteo implanted device in one case and the presence of documents in the other. In one case, we could not find a potential identity for the deceased, while in the other we found a possible identity but not a family member to provide antemortem data to confirm it. Although the scientific literature tends to favour the publication of cases with favourable outcomes, one should also learn from failures, which is the reason why the author decided to publish his unsuccessful experiences. The reasons for the failures are discussed, as well as methodological improvements for future cases.

Key points

• Two cases analysed are both from Brasilia, Brazil.

• High initial expectation of achieving identification due to implanted osteo device in one case and presence of documents in the other.

• Non-scientific strategies to increase the possibility of identification, such as publication in local media of postmortem data relevant to identification and the active pursuit of antemortem information.

• Unsuccessful attempts to contact family members of the deceased.

• Suggestions for how to increase the chances of identification in similar future cases.

Keywords:

• Forensic sciences
• forensic anthropology
• human identification failure
• missing person database
• primary methods of identification

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank forensic expert Heloisa Maria da Costa, DDS, who attended the local crime scene of Case 2 shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Compliance with ethical standards

The study was conducted under the ethical approval of the institutional review board of the Medicolegal Institute, Civil Police of Federal District, Brasilia, Brazil. Written informed consent was obtained from the relatives of the deceased.

Disclosure statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Funding

This work was not funded by any institution.