The Role of Forensic Archaeology in Missing Persons Investigations

Forensic archaeology has emerged as a distinct discipline over the past three decades, although its value was recognized as early as the 1970s. Today, forensic archaeologists assist with domestic outdoor scenes, fire scenes, in the search and excavation of mass graves, in the recovery of remains from past wars and conflicts, and in mass fatality incidents. The application of archaeological methods to outdoor forensic scenes includes the search, location, excavation, and recovery of human remains and other kinds of forensic evidence. Forensic archaeology has been integral to the investigations of missing persons cases, and practitioners are often called upon to assist with the recovery of human remains and forensic evidence from surface-scattered scenes, clandestine graves, fire scenes, and large-scale mass disaster scenes. This chapter provides a general overview of forensic archaeological methods and also discusses innovations in the analysis of outdoor scenes and fire scenes.