Ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity tomography surveys with a subsequent intrusive investigation in search for the missing Beaumont children in Adelaide, South Australia.

Jane, Arnna, and Grant Beaumont went missing from Glenelg Beach in Adelaide, South Australia on 26 January (Australia Day) 1966. Despite multiple land and sea searches over nearly 60 years, the children have not been found. New credible eyewitness testimony led to a site of interest at the now disused New Castalloy factory in North Plympton, Adelaide.

The suitability of using domestic pigs (Sus spp.) as human proxies in the geophysical detection of clandestine graves.

Research in many forensic science fields commonly uses domestic pigs (Sus spp.) as proxies for human remains, due to their physiological and anatomical similarities, as well as being more readily available. Unfortunately, previous research, especially that which compares the decompositional process, has shown that pigs are not appropriate proxies for humans.

A multidisciplinary approach to locating clandestine gravesites in cold cases: Combining geographic profiling, LiDAR, and near surface geophysics.

By nature, clandestine burials are difficult to locate, an issue that can complicate the legal process, and interrupt the natural grief process of the family. The purpose of this paper is to present a three-step process to search for clandestine graves using (1) geographic profiling, (2) light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and (3) near surface geophysics. Each process incrementally decreases the geographic area being searched, while increasing the level of detail provided to investigators.

Quantifying human post-mortem movement resultant from decomposition processes.

Background: Post-mortem movement is highly significant in unexplained death investigations, as body position or the position of remains helps to determine cause and manner of death, as well as potentially the circumstances surrounding death. Therefore, understanding post-mortem movement is of forensic relevance in death scene assessments.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to quantify post-mortem movement in anatomical structures of a human donor during decomposition in an Australian environment, an evaluation that has not previously been undertaken.

Evaluating the utility of time-lapse imaging in the estimation of post-mortem interval: An Australian case study.

Estimating post-mortem interval is an important aspect in forensic investigations. The aim of this study was to investigate if time-lapse imaging can be used to improve estimates of post-mortem interval using Megyesi et al.'s [1] method for a human donor decomposing in an Australian environment.

Geomatic techniques in forensic science: A review.

The purpose of this review paper is to highlight various geomatic techniques that crime scene reconstructionists or forensic practitioners can use to document different kinds of scenes, highlighting the advantages, disadvantages, and when best to use each technology. This paper explores geomatic techniques such as a total station, photogrammetry, laser scanners and structured light scanners and how they can be used to reconstruct crime scenes. The goal of this paper is not to discredit manual methods, as they are long standing and reliable, but instead to shed light on alternative methods that may produce equally or more accurate results with a more visually appealing final product.

Forensic gait analysis - Morphometric assessment from surveillance footage.

Following the technological rise of surveillance cameras and their subsequent proliferation in public places, the use of information gathered by such means for investigative and evaluative purposes sparked a large interest in the forensic community and within policing scenarios. In particular, it is suggested that analysis of the body, especially the assessment of gait characteristics, can provide useful information to aid the investigation. This paper discusses the influences upon gait to mitigate some of the limitations of surveillance footage, including those due to the varying anatomical differences between individuals.

Forensic image analysis - CCTV distortion and artefacts.

As a result of the worldwide deployment of surveillance cameras, authorities have gained a powerful tool that captures footage of activities of people in public areas. Surveillance cameras allow continuous monitoring of the area and allow footage to be obtained for later use, if a criminal or other act of interest occurs. Following this, a forensic practitioner, or expert witness can be required to analyse the footage of the Person of Interest.

Critical issues in the historical and contemporary development of forensic anthropology in Australia: An international comparison.

The aim of this brief critical qualitative analysis is to examine the development of forensic anthropology in Australia, at a time of significant change in the discipline. It will briefly summarise its historical establishment, making comparative reference to other regions-particularly the United Kingdom and United States, and the influence of the Bali Bombings of 2002, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of 2004 and Black Saturday Bushfires of 2009. The analysis goes on to consider key factors in research in forensic anthropology in the United States, and the development of standards and regulation in the US and UK.

Forensic facial comparison: issues of admissibility in the development of novel analytical technique.

Much contemporary debate in forensic science concerns validity and admissibility of scientific evidence in court. In this paper, three current approaches to facial identification--image superimposition, photogrammetry, and morphological analysis--are considered with regard to criteria for scientific evidence in the United States, and England, and Wales. The aim of the paper is to assess the extent to which facial image comparison meets criteria of admissibility in these jurisdictions.

The incidence of scarring on the dorsum of the hand.

When undertaking image comparison of the hand between accused and perpetrator, it is not unusual for scars to be identified on the back of the hand. To investigate the occurrence of scarring in a discreet sample, a database of 238 individuals was examined, and the dorsum of the right and left hands was gridded for each individual. The position, size and type of scar were recorded within each grid.

Key parameters of face shape variation in 3D in a large sample.

Improvement of methods for evidential facial comparison for the Courts relies on the collection of large databases of facial images that permit the analysis of face shape variation and the development of statistical tools. In this paper, we present a short description and key findings of an anthropometric study of face shape variation in three-dimensions. We used Statistical Shape Analysis to investigate a large database sample (n = 1968), classified by age and gender.