No One Left Behind: Forensic Anthropology In The Community

Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology are subdisciplines of the field of Physical Anthropology. Forensic Anthropology deals with the study of human remains in the medico-legal context, while Bioarchaeology focuses on human remains and their excavation within the archaeological record. This historic burial case came to the University of Montana through the initiated request of a citizen in an effort to identify his relatives’ remains by correlating our findings with family records before being re- located to another cemetery. The remains were originally exhumed by Beaverhead County and transported to the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula before being transferred to the University of Montana Forensic Anthropology Lab (UMFAL) for analysis. They were temporarily curated at UM during the analysis and have subsequently been sent back to the citizen, along with our findings, for reburial. Standard Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeological methods were used in this analysis. In order to determine the sex of the individual, aspects of the cranium, pelvis, and upper arm bones were examined and findings were verified using well documented and peer- reviewed regression formulae and statistical analyses including the use of FORDISC 3.1. Living stature was estimated by taking measurements of the long bones with an osteometric board and calculated using known and accepted mathematical formulas. Age-at-death was found by assessments of the ectocranial sutures, dental patterns, and known changes that occur to certain features of the pelvis. Ancestral estimations were made using morphoscopic analysis of the cranium as well as by taking craniometric measurements and then employing statistical analysis with FORDISC 3.1. Trauma and pathology analyses were also performed and the findings corroborated with Dr. Aldo Fusaro of the Montana State Crime Lab in Missoula. The artifacts that were transported with the human remains were cataloged and Archaeology faculty from UM were consulted in an effort to help ensure the accuracy of findings. This case is a great example of combining different methods and techniques from multiple fields of Anthropology in order to identify a set of human remain