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Recent Advances in Forensic Anthropology: Decomposition Research

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Recent Advances in Forensic Anthropology: Decomposition Research FORENSIC SCIENCES RESEARCH 2018, VOL. 3, NO. 4, 327–342 https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2018.1488571 REVIEW Recent advances in forensic anthropology: decomposition research Daniel J. Wescott Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State, San Marcos, TX, USA ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Decomposition research is still in its infancy, but significant advances have occurred within Received 25 April 2018 forensic anthropology and other disciplines in the past several decades. Decomposition Accepted 12 June 2018 research in forensic anthropology has primarily focused on estimating the postmortem inter- KEYWORDS val (PMI), detecting clandestine remains, and interpreting the context of the scene. Taphonomy; postmortem Additionally, while much of the work has focused on forensic-related questions, an interdis- interval; carrion ecology; ciplinary focus on the ecology of decomposition has also advanced our knowledge. The pur- decomposition pose of this article is to highlight some of the fundamental shifts that have occurred to advance decomposition research, such as the role of primary extrinsic factors, the application of decomposition research to the detection of clandestine remains and the estimation of the PMI in forensic anthropology casework. Future research in decomposition should focus on the collection of standardized data, the incorporation of ecological and evolutionary theory, more rigorous statistical analyses, examination of extended PMIs, greater emphasis on aquatic decomposition and interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research, and the use of human cadavers to get forensically reliable data. Introduction Not surprisingly, the desire for knowledge about the decomposition process and its applications to Laboratory-based identification of human skeletal medicolegal death investigations has not only remains has been the primary focus of forensic anthropology for much of the discipline’s history. increased in forensic anthropology but in many This emphasis on identification is clearly reflected other forensic science fields (e.g. entomology, path- in journal publications beginning with the inception ology/biology, toxicology, and chemistry), and has of forensic anthropology to the present that focus resulted in an increase in decomposition research almost exclusively on the development and valid- over the past several decades. For example, while ation of methods for estimating biological character- there were only a few studies presented each year at istics (e.g. age-at-death, sex, ancestry, and stature) the American Academy of Forensic Sciences annual from the human skeleton. However, over the past meetings on decomposition a few decades ago, a several decades there has been an expansion of the review of the 2002–2018 Proceedings of the role of forensic anthropologists in medicolegal death American Academy of Forensic Sciences reveals a inquiries – with forensic anthropologists increas- growing interest in decomposition related studies ingly being invited to participate in scene recoveries (Figure 1). Between 2002 and 2005, for example, to locate clandestine remains, provide contextual there were approximately 8–9 presentations per year information at the scene, and to estimate the post- focusing on decomposition, but from 2014 to 2018 mortem interval (PMI). As a result, there has also the average skyrocketed to 34 presentations per been a corresponding broadening of scientific ques- year. Much of the decomposition-related work in tions under scrutiny by forensic anthropologists, forensic anthropology has focused on gross morpho- including those related to human decomposition. As logical changes of the body, regional variation, Dirkmaat et al. [1] noted, forensic taphonomy, intrinsic and extrinsic influences, grave soil ecology, including decomposition, provides “forensic anthro- vegetation, the effect of scavengers to aid in PMI pology with a new conceptual framework, which is estimation, detection of clandestine remains, and broader, deeper, and more solidly entrenched in the scene or trauma interpretation. In the other forensic natural sciences …” and “represents a true paradigm sciences, decomposition-related work has put ” shift. emphasis on chemical changes (e.g. volatile organic compounds, soil chemistry) and insect and CONTACT Daniel J. Wescott [email protected] ß 2018 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Academy of Forensic Science. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 328 D. J. WESCOTT 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 Number of Presentations Number 15 10 5 0 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Year Total Anthropology Pathology/Biology Other Figure 1. Trends in decomposition-related studies presented at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences from 2002 to 2018. Graph shows total number of papers presented and the number presented in the Anthropology, Pathology/Biology, and Other sections. microbiological biodiversity and succession associ- its application in the forensic sciences. Over the past ated with the decomposition of carrion, especially as several decades, there has been a greater emphasis it relates to estimating the PMI and other forensic on examining decomposition within an evolutionary and non-forensic uses. This broadening of scientific and ecological context (carrion ecology), on inter- questions in the forensic sciences led to an increase disciplinary research, and to quantifying the process in the number of human decomposition facilities of decomposition and the factors that influence its and a growth in interdisciplinary research focused rate. Advancements in decomposition research have on decomposition ecology. As a result, many recent also been greatly enhanced by the recent explosion advancements in the forensic sciences over the past in the number of human decomposition facilities several decades have been associated with decom- and the development of new molecular sequencing position research. technologies. This section will conclude with exam- The purpose of this article is to review some of ination of research associated with increasing our the scientific advances that have occurred in decom- knowledge of the major extrinsic factors that affect position research and how they can be applied in the pattern of decomposition and its rate of progres- forensic anthropology. While it is not possible to sion. Much of this research has focused on terres- cover all the literature or topics on decomposition trial decomposition. Less work has been done on research, my goal is to provide the reader with a aquatic decomposition, but significant advances into basic understanding of our current knowledge of our understanding of decomposition in water have human decomposition, some of the relevant histor- been made using case studies of human remains ical developments, and how this knowledge is and actualistic studies based on animal analogs. In applied to forensic anthropological cases for the the second section of the article, I discuss how these detection (i.e. search) of clandestine remains, docu- advances have been applied to detection of clandes- mentation of the scene, and the estimation of the tine remains and the estimation of the PMI, with a PMI. Because of the wealth of articles on the early focus on methods relevant to forensic anthropolo- postmortem interval (<48 h) when primarily bio- gists. I conclude the article with a discussion of chemical processes are occurring, this article will future needs and potential research areas. mostly address changes associated with gross decomposition (i.e. post-autolysis). Fundamental shifts in The article is divided into several sections. In the decomposition research first section, I discuss some of the fundamental Decomposition facilities shifts in the way we approach decomposition research (i.e. basic concepts, experimental practices, The establishment of decomposition research facili- technology, and the use of theory) that have led to ties has brought about a new era in decomposition greater understanding of human decomposition and studies. The first facility, the Anthropological FORENSIC SCIENCES RESEARCH 329 Research Facility (ARF), was established at the from the carcass into the ecosystem. Also of great University of Tennessee in 1980 by Dr William importance is that these decomposition facilities Bass. Shirley et al. [2] and Vidoli et al. [3] provide provide a resource for medicolegal death investiga- good overview of the ARF for readers interested in tors, law enforcement, and students to train in bur- its history. Beginning in the 2000s, several other ial excavation techniques, documenting scattered facilities opened. Today there are seven facilities in surface remains, and observing the decomposition the United States, one in Europe, and one in process. These training opportunities encourage and Australia (Table 1) and more are in the planning assure better and more standardized evidence collec- stages. These decomposition facilities provide inter- tion during outdoor scene recoveries. disciplinary opportunities to conduct semi-con- trolled actualistic research to test specific hypotheses Donated human remains using large samples of human remains with known PMI and for comparisons of patterns and rates of The need to conduct
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