Disaster victim identification operations with fragmented, burnt, or commingled remains: experience-based...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)
• Human Remains Analysis

Background:

• Disasters frequently result in fragmented, compromised, and commingled human remains, complicating identification processes.
• Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) operations face significant logistical, practical, and ethical hurdles when dealing with such remains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide practical guidance and information for managing DVI operations involving fragmented human remains.
• To outline key issues for disaster preparedness and initial operational strategies.
• To supplement existing DVI guidelines with practical insights from first-hand experiences.

Main Methods:

• Review of first-hand experiences in managing DVI operations with fragmented human remains.
• Identification of challenges in recovery, examination, DNA sampling, and reconciliation.
• Emphasis on the importance of specialist expertise and quality control throughout the DVI process.

Main Results:

• Fragmented and compromised remains pose specific challenges that can prolong and complicate identifications.
• Early consultation with specialists is crucial for defining operational scope and addressing key issues.
• Rigorous quality control is essential to mitigate issues arising from commingling and contamination of DNA samples.

Conclusions:

• Specialist expertise is indispensable at all stages of DVI operations involving compromised remains.
• Continuous collaboration among government, judiciary, law enforcement, and forensic specialists is vital for efficient and accurate DVI.
• Preparedness planning and incident-specific strategies are critical for successful disaster victim identification.