Enhancing Scene Processing Protocols to Improve Victim Identification and Field Detection of Human Remains in Mass Fatality Scenes

• NCJ Number: 238744
• Author(s): Dennis C. Dirkmaat; Erin N. Chapman; Michael Kenyhercz; Luis L. Cabo
• Date Published: January 2012
• Length: 156 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-DN-BX-K133
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Award: Enhancing Scene Processing Protocols to Improve Victim Identification and Field Detection of Human Remains at Mass Fatality Scenes

Annotation

This project provides guidance to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of forensic processing efforts at large-scale crime scenes, and specifically large scale mass fatality incidents.

Abstract

This research provides protocols to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of forensic processing (location, documentation, and recovery) of large-scale crime scenes, and specifically those resulting from mass fatality incidents. The results of extensive field testing indicated that comprehensive documentation of the spatial location of evidence and human remains can be accomplished in a time efficient manner with an increase in the recognition and location of evidence and human remains at a scene and therefore potential victim identification, while maintaining reasonable cost and working times. Results also showed that accurate estimates of the volume of evidence could be made using plot and plotless search methods. These methods can be used to estimate the amount of evidence in unsearched areas as well as estimating the amount of evidence in the overall scene, thereby helping to predict needs assessments for personnel and the amount of time it will take to process and release specific portions of a scene. Improvements in scene processing have been accomplished through the development and dissemination of enhanced, realistic, effective, and affordable search and recovery documentation protocols that maximize the detection, recovery and identification of human remains at large scale scenes and have importance in reconstructing past events related to a plane crash, bomb incident or other related mass fatality scenes. Figures, references, and tables