如果由于没有初始识别假设而导致人类遗骸身份不明,有限的上下文信息,和/或保存不良,放射性碳(14C)测年可能是进一步协助识别的有用工具。通过测量有机材料中残留的14C的量,比如骨头,牙齿,钉,或头发,放射性碳测年可以为死者提供估计的出生年份和死亡年份。这些信息,可以协助,确定身份不明的遗骸(UHR)是否实际上具有法医学意义,因此,需要法医调查和鉴定。本案例系列重点介绍了14C在维多利亚州132例UHR案例中的7例的应用,澳大利亚。从每个病例中取样皮质骨,并测量14C的水平以提供估计的死亡年份。分析的七个案例中有四个包含与考古时间框架一致的14C水平,一个包含与现代一致的14C水平(即,法医学意义)时间框架,其余两个样本的结果尚无定论。应用这种技术不仅减少了维多利亚州UHR病例的数量,而且还具有调查性,文化,以及对法医学案件工作的实际意义。
In cases where human remains are unidentified because there is no initial identification hypothesis, limited contextual information, and/or poor preservation, radiocarbon (14 C) dating may be a useful tool to further assist with identification. Through measuring the amount of 14 C remaining in organic material, such as bone, teeth, nail, or hair, radiocarbon dating may provide an estimated year of birth and year of death for a deceased person. This information, may assist in, establishing whether a
case of unidentified human remains (UHR) is actually of medicolegal significance and therefore, requires forensic investigation and identification. This
case series highlights the application of 14 C dating to seven of the 132 UHR cases in Victoria, Australia. Cortical bone was sampled from each
case and the level of 14 C was measured to provide an estimated year of death. Four of the seven cases analyzed contained the levels of 14 C consistent with an archeological timeframe, one contained a level of 14 C consistent with a modern (i.e., of medicolegal significance) timeframe, and the results for the remaining two samples were inconclusive. Applying this technique not only reduced the number of UHR cases in Victoria but also has investigative, cultural, and practical implications for medicolegal casework in general.