Cold Cases Heat Up Through New Approach to Identifying Remains
Dental records have long been used to help detectives identify remains of missing persons for police investigations but at times, this technology was not advanced enough for a full identification. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory research team has come up with a new, interdisciplinary way of identifying remains in hopes of closing thousands of cold cases due to unidentified Jane/John Does.
New technology called "bomb pulse" radiation, in combination with recently developed anthropological analysis and forensic DNA technologies, better enables scientists to identify remains for cold case investigations. Radiocarbon analysis of the enamel of teeth allows for the exact birth date to be identified DNA analysis and mitochondrial profiles determine the gender and any living relatives of the deceased.
Using bomb pulse radiation is a new development that allows scientists to test the enamel of teeth and match the carbon in the enamel to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as a way of identifying the birth year. This technique also aids the scientists in identifying the year of death in the same manner. These techniques alone really help increase the identification of missing persons.
This multidisciplinary analysis recently identified the remains of a cranium found 41 years ago, allowing for the cold case to be reopened and subsequently closed. This new technology may help investigators close hundreds of cold cases by determining the birth date, death date, gender, and possible relatives for cases that are up to 60 years old. The implications of this work are enormous as far as implementing new and better techniques to solving both old and new cases.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121010141458.htm
R. Eric Emery, DDS
Smile Station Dental
2901 Dougherty Ferry Rd, Suite 400
St. Louis, MO 63122
(314)821-7100
smilestationdental.com
Like us on Facebook!
No comments:
Post a Comment