Forensic medicine and human identification 63
fingers, and toes, as well as complete feet, hands, extremities, and thoraces,
may be recovered. Often radiographs can be used to delineate species, the
classic example being that of a bear claw resembling a decomposed human
hand. Radiographs would reveal multiple sesamoid bones in the paw that are
not present in the human hand. Small animals may resemble human fetal
remains. Not uncommonly, and especially during hunting season, entrails
will be uncovered and the question is again, are they human or nonhuman?
Examination of the remains will often yield the answer by the presence of
multiple stomachs (e.g., the deer has four), the gastric contents (e.g., grass,
leaves), or the anatomy of the organs themselves.
If anthropologic and radiographic examinations fail to differentiate the
species, DNA analysis can be performed. Forensic scientists can extract the
DNA and look for the hTERT (human telomerase) gene on chromosome 5,
which is specific for humans.
5.3 Establishing Identity
Once the remains have been identified as being human, a number of methods
can be employed to determine identity.
The most common means for establishing a positive identification are
visual, fingerprint, DNA, and dental comparison. The latter three are often
referred to as the scientific methods and will be thoroughly discussed in forth-
coming chapters, and therefore will not be discussed here (see Chapters 6, 7,
and 9). In addition, a presumptive identification can be established by numer-
ous methods addressed below, which is often very useful for future utiliza-
tion of DNA or dental comparison. Although numerous databases exist
for the comparison of fingerprint and DNA evidence to establish identity,
without a comparison sample, both of these methods are useless. Similarly,
Figure 5.1 a disarticulated foot recovered from neighborhood shrubbery by a dog.