Facing the Unknown: Integration of Skeletal Traits, Genetic Information and Forensic Facial Approximation

Background/Objectives: Identification of human remains is of utmost importance for criminal investigations and providing closure to the families. The reconstruction of a biological profile of the individual will narrow down the list of candidates for identification. From another perspective, facial approximations performed by a forensic artist can provide investigative leads, with the identity being confirmed by primary or secondary methods of identification. In recent years, DNA analysis has evolved, trying to create a portrait of the perpetrator/victim based on External Visible Characteristics (EVCs), the color of the eyes, hair, and skin and Biogeographical ancestry (BGA), called DNA phenotyping. Despite these advances, currently, there are no studies integrating the biological profile performed by forensic anthropologists, the facial approximation created by forensic artists and EVCs determined by DNA. The goal of this work was to integrate these three investigative leads to enhance the possibility of human identification. Methods: Five donated remains from Mercyhurst were studied through these approaches: reconstruction of biological profile, facial approximation and estimation of EVCs based on previous studies. Results: Our results indicated the feasibility of integrating this biological profile and EVCs data into the facial approximation developed by the forensic artist, aiming to an enhance portrait of the remains. In a second phase of this project, the accuracy of the integrated facial approximation will be assessed. Conclusions: This study pointed out the importance of an interdisciplinary approach towards the identification of human remains, as well as the combination of current methods with new technologies.