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Development of isoscapes to aid the provenancing of human remains from Spanish Civil War
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Abstract
not possible through personal effects or next of kin. While forensic anthropology is able to work from a blank canvas, as it were, and can provide information on age, gender, and potentially ethnical grouping, techniques such as DNA profiling do rely on finding a match either in a database or against a comparative ante-mortem sample of the presumed victim or from a putative relation. Chances for either to succeed would be greatly enhanced if information gained from traditional techniques could be linked to another technique that can work from a ‘blank canvas’ or at least does not require comparison to a subject specific database. With the help of stable isotope analysis even the very atoms from which a body is made can be used to say something about a person that will help to focus human identification efforts using traditional techniques such as DNA, fingerprints, and forensic odontology. Stable isotope profiling exploits subtle biochemically driven variations in isotope abundance of chemical elements such as carbon (C) or hydrogen (H). While 13C isotope abundance in body tissue is a reflection of dietary intake, 2H isotope abundance values recorded by the human body through food and drink ultimately reflect averaged isotopic composition of regional precipitation. Analysis of 2H, 13C, 15N, and 18O isotopic composition in tissue such as hair, nails, bone, and teeth enables us to reconstruct a time-resolved isotopic ‘profile’ that may not necessarily permit direct identification of a victim but in conjunction with forensic anthropological information will provide sufficient forensic intelligence to construct a profile for intelligence lead identification stating based on provenance and immutable anatomical markers. In addition, law enforcement agencies and immigration control only have limited means at their disposal to establish the actual country of origin of a person or to check on the veracity of statements made by a terrorist or terrorist suspect about geographical origin and recent geographical movement. A technique that would help to determine recent life history of people detained either on suspicion of terrorism or of having gained entry to the UK illegally would be a very valuable tool. Data from several criminal investigations are presented to illustrate potential and limitation of stable isotope analysis of human tissue in aid of victim identification and detection of recent geographic movement.
doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2009.11.040
Development of isoscapes to aid the provenancing of human remains from Spanish Civil War R. Poseya, J. Hoogewerffa, H. Ueckermanna, E.G. Ballbeb, S. Vriendc a University of East Anglia, Centre for Forensic Provenancing, Norwich, United Kingdom b Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain c Geochem Research B.V., Nieuwegein, Netherlands The need for additional research into forensic human identification has been highlighted over the past decade in the aftermaths of catastrophes such as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre (2001) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) that led to the loss of thousands of lives, many of whom still remain unidentified. We postulate that by combining spatial data obtained from analytical techniques from different disciplines it may be possible to significantly increase the probability of successful identification of unknown remains. In our research we combine stable and radiogenic isotope chemistry and trace element chemistry with forensic genetic techniques to create the foundations of powerful predictive models. Attendees to our presentation will be introduced to the preliminary development work that has been initiated for the identification of victims found in mass graves in Catalunya (Spain), from the Spanish Civil War. The literature suggests that between 50,000 and 200,000 people were illicitly executed during the war and Franco's post-war regime, most of whom remain unidentified in mass graves. Recent social interest has led to the government allowing the exhumation of some mass graves including
one expected to contain the remains of the poet, Federico Garcia Lorca. Our own research focuses on well-documented graves in the Pallars Sobira region in northern Catalunya. Although excavation of the Catalan graves of interest is expected in early 2010 we performed an initial reconnaissance survey of the area in 2008 during which 103 surface water samples were collected. Collaboration with local researchers and researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona yielded information about the victims in the Catalan graves including origin at birth, migration, and location of death. The water samples were analysed for oxygen and strontium isotope ratio and trace element concentrations as proxies for regional differences in the human diet. The data has been interpreted and used to produce spatial chemical map ‘Isoscapes’ of the area. These will be used as a reference for the provenancing of the human remains once they become available. Initial results suggest that the area has significant geochemical contrasts; especially for the δ18O results between northern and southern areas. It seems therefore likely that differentiation between victims coming from different regional origin might be possible. Future work will include the excavation of the grave sites, isotopic and elemental analysis of bone and teeth samples from the graves, and mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA analysis of the victims. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2009.11.041
Predicting face shape from the skull using a combined NMR and stereophotographic image database of living individuals M.P. Evisona, F. Renb, M.A. Guimarãesc a University of Toronto, Forensic Science Program, Mississauga, Canada b Liaoning Medical University, Liaoning, China c Faculty of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil Facial reconstruction is an artistic process with a limited scientific basis. It is a last resort in human identification in which an approximate facial appearance is produced from the skull in the hope that a resultant candidate identity might be confirmed by other means such as DNA or dental records. The aim of this investigation was to establish whether contemporary medical and stereophotographic imaging methods could be combined to predict face shape from the skull and to assess whether they can be used to reassess current guidelines for the positioning of facial features and other norms in forensic facial reconstruction. A database was collected from 60 individuals (30 male and 30 female) of predominantly White ancestry, consisting of an MRI scan of the volunteer's head and face, and corresponding 3-D stereophotographic and laser-scanned facial surface images. The skull and face surfaces were landmarked in 3-D at up to 30 traditional anthropometric points. Accuracy in facial landmark positioning in laser, stereophotograph, and MR images was compared. A comparative analysis of hard and soft tissue landmarks was used to develop a method of predicting soft tissue landmark position and tissue depth from the skull of an unknown individual. Finally, the combined datasets were used to produce a revised set of guidelines for positioning and proportions of soft-tissue features. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2009.11.042
The development of analytical techniques for the determination of forensic bone age S. Raja, B. Stuart, P. Thomas University of Technology, Sydney, Australia The morphology and chemistry of bones can provide a record of their history and have been well studied for archaeological samples. However, the structural properties of lesser-aged bones, such as those that may be
Abstract
not possible through personal effects or next of kin. While forensic anthropology is able to work from a blank canvas, as it were, and can provide information on age, gender, and potentially ethnical grouping, techniques such as DNA profiling do rely on finding a match either in a database or against a comparative ante-mortem sample of the presumed victim or from a putative relation. Chances for either to succeed would be greatly enhanced if information gained from traditional techniques could be linked to another technique that can work from a ‘blank canvas’ or at least does not require comparison to a subject specific database. With the help of stable isotope analysis even the very atoms from which a body is made can be used to say something about a person that will help to focus human identification efforts using traditional techniques such as DNA, fingerprints, and forensic odontology. Stable isotope profiling exploits subtle biochemically driven variations in isotope abundance of chemical elements such as carbon (C) or hydrogen (H). While 13C isotope abundance in body tissue is a reflection of dietary intake, 2H isotope abundance values recorded by the human body through food and drink ultimately reflect averaged isotopic composition of regional precipitation. Analysis of 2H, 13C, 15N, and 18O isotopic composition in tissue such as hair, nails, bone, and teeth enables us to reconstruct a time-resolved isotopic ‘profile’ that may not necessarily permit direct identification of a victim but in conjunction with forensic anthropological information will provide sufficient forensic intelligence to construct a profile for intelligence lead identification stating based on provenance and immutable anatomical markers. In addition, law enforcement agencies and immigration control only have limited means at their disposal to establish the actual country of origin of a person or to check on the veracity of statements made by a terrorist or terrorist suspect about geographical origin and recent geographical movement. A technique that would help to determine recent life history of people detained either on suspicion of terrorism or of having gained entry to the UK illegally would be a very valuable tool. Data from several criminal investigations are presented to illustrate potential and limitation of stable isotope analysis of human tissue in aid of victim identification and detection of recent geographic movement.
doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2009.11.040
Development of isoscapes to aid the provenancing of human remains from Spanish Civil War R. Poseya, J. Hoogewerffa, H. Ueckermanna, E.G. Ballbeb, S. Vriendc a University of East Anglia, Centre for Forensic Provenancing, Norwich, United Kingdom b Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain c Geochem Research B.V., Nieuwegein, Netherlands The need for additional research into forensic human identification has been highlighted over the past decade in the aftermaths of catastrophes such as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre (2001) and Hurricane Katrina (2005) that led to the loss of thousands of lives, many of whom still remain unidentified. We postulate that by combining spatial data obtained from analytical techniques from different disciplines it may be possible to significantly increase the probability of successful identification of unknown remains. In our research we combine stable and radiogenic isotope chemistry and trace element chemistry with forensic genetic techniques to create the foundations of powerful predictive models. Attendees to our presentation will be introduced to the preliminary development work that has been initiated for the identification of victims found in mass graves in Catalunya (Spain), from the Spanish Civil War. The literature suggests that between 50,000 and 200,000 people were illicitly executed during the war and Franco's post-war regime, most of whom remain unidentified in mass graves. Recent social interest has led to the government allowing the exhumation of some mass graves including
one expected to contain the remains of the poet, Federico Garcia Lorca. Our own research focuses on well-documented graves in the Pallars Sobira region in northern Catalunya. Although excavation of the Catalan graves of interest is expected in early 2010 we performed an initial reconnaissance survey of the area in 2008 during which 103 surface water samples were collected. Collaboration with local researchers and researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona yielded information about the victims in the Catalan graves including origin at birth, migration, and location of death. The water samples were analysed for oxygen and strontium isotope ratio and trace element concentrations as proxies for regional differences in the human diet. The data has been interpreted and used to produce spatial chemical map ‘Isoscapes’ of the area. These will be used as a reference for the provenancing of the human remains once they become available. Initial results suggest that the area has significant geochemical contrasts; especially for the δ18O results between northern and southern areas. It seems therefore likely that differentiation between victims coming from different regional origin might be possible. Future work will include the excavation of the grave sites, isotopic and elemental analysis of bone and teeth samples from the graves, and mitochondrial and Y-chromosome DNA analysis of the victims. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2009.11.041
Predicting face shape from the skull using a combined NMR and stereophotographic image database of living individuals M.P. Evisona, F. Renb, M.A. Guimarãesc a University of Toronto, Forensic Science Program, Mississauga, Canada b Liaoning Medical University, Liaoning, China c Faculty of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil Facial reconstruction is an artistic process with a limited scientific basis. It is a last resort in human identification in which an approximate facial appearance is produced from the skull in the hope that a resultant candidate identity might be confirmed by other means such as DNA or dental records. The aim of this investigation was to establish whether contemporary medical and stereophotographic imaging methods could be combined to predict face shape from the skull and to assess whether they can be used to reassess current guidelines for the positioning of facial features and other norms in forensic facial reconstruction. A database was collected from 60 individuals (30 male and 30 female) of predominantly White ancestry, consisting of an MRI scan of the volunteer's head and face, and corresponding 3-D stereophotographic and laser-scanned facial surface images. The skull and face surfaces were landmarked in 3-D at up to 30 traditional anthropometric points. Accuracy in facial landmark positioning in laser, stereophotograph, and MR images was compared. A comparative analysis of hard and soft tissue landmarks was used to develop a method of predicting soft tissue landmark position and tissue depth from the skull of an unknown individual. Finally, the combined datasets were used to produce a revised set of guidelines for positioning and proportions of soft-tissue features. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2009.11.042
The development of analytical techniques for the determination of forensic bone age S. Raja, B. Stuart, P. Thomas University of Technology, Sydney, Australia The morphology and chemistry of bones can provide a record of their history and have been well studied for archaeological samples. However, the structural properties of lesser-aged bones, such as those that may be