How Authorities Positively Identify Jane And John Does

How are dead bodies identified? Usually, authorities rely on a combination of official documents and confirmation from next of kin. But sadly, in some cases of death - whether by accident, murder, or otherwise - a victim’s body is so damaged that identifying them by facial recognition is impossible. When this is the case, investigators and forensic scientists rely on a combination of old-fashioned techniques, modern technology, and professional intuition to name the deceased.

Authorities employ anything at their disposal to solve the case and identify the victim, so their family can get closure and properly grieve their loved one. In the case of crimes, identifying dead bodies and performing autopsies are also key parts of an investigation, and can help point to a perpetrator.

From birthmarks and tattoos to surgical implants and bones, experts use them all to determine the identities of the mysterious dead.

Tattoos only last as long as the skin they are inked on, but if a body is well preserved, those patterns can help officials positively I.D. a person.

In 2016, a body was discovered in the Kankakee River in Illinois. Decomposition made identification by fingerprints impossible, but coroner Robert Gessner discovered a rose tattoo on the victim’s neck during his examination. He contacted the local sherriff’s office and asked him to search through the public safety database to see if any records matched the description of the tattoo. They had a match, and a positive identification, within minutes.

As DNA testing advances, it has become more valuable to forensic scientists. It can even help close cold cases; in 2011, DNA testing revealed the identity of a victim from a 1985 murder.

DNA can also point to the perpetrator of a violent crime. Forensic officials often compare the foreign DNA found on a victim to that of a potential suspect.

If a skull is discovered, it can lead to the positive identification of a victim - even if the rest of the body can't be found. The sagittal suture, the line that runs along the length of the skull, can be used to determine if the victim is over 35. The coronal suture, a second line at the front of the skull, can be used to determine if someone is over 40.

Thanks to computer graphics, the skull has become even more helpful. CG can be used to perform a facial reconstruction to guess what the victim looked like.

Perhaps the easiest way to positively identify a body is to use the personal belongings on an unidentified individual. Documents like a driver’s license or passport can quickly give investigators a name, which they can then verify with next of kin. If those documents aren't available, personal belongings, such as a phone or jewelry, can also prove helpful.

Scars often result from injuries that required hospital care, and because hospitals keep detailed records, they can point to a possible identification for a mysterious body.

While this is a more work-intensive form of identification, it's been known to get results. It was used during the war in Iraq, when U.S.-led forces used both scars and fingerprints to identify the body of former terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

If x-rays are available, a skeleton can show the history of a person’s injuries or illnesses. While a run-of-the-mill bone break may not help with identification, an extensive or rare injury can. Similarly, some diseases that affect bone health, like syphilis, psoriasis, or tuberculosis, can sometimes lead to lasting skeletal damage that can be viewed via x-ray.

Fingerprints continue to be the most universally used forensic tool. Due to the presence of massive, constantly updating databases of fingerprints all over the world, identifying a body by its fingertips keeps getting easier.

Beyond the pattern of fingertips' skin, the bacteria that lives there may also help identify people, since communities of bacteria are specific to an individual. As Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado explained, "We leave this trail of bacteria everywhere we go, and the idea was could we use this trail to identify who had touched a given object or surface."

Dental x-rays and records are widely considered to be one of the best ways to identify an unknown body. That's because dental features are unique to each person, with characteristics like tooth root curvature, crowns, and impacted teeth varying from mouth to mouth. Teeth also often remain intact when other parts of the body do not. Records from when a person was alive can be compared to post-mortem x-rays to reach a positive identity.

Dentures can prove useful to investigators as well, since they often survive even longer than bone. Newer dentures are frequently imprinted with the name or initials of the wearer, making it even easier to discover a victim’s identity.

Much like fingerprints and DNA, birthmarks are unique characteristics. In coordination with medical or police records, or identification given by a family member, a birthmark can be used to help officials reach a positive identification.

Surgical implants can provide valuable clues for identifying unknown bodies. Materials like titanium - which can survive fire and chemical damage - or medical devices with serial numbers can point towards a successful I.D.

In 2009, surgical implants served as the key to identifying several bodies after Australian bush fires claimed numerous lives. Human remains were given CT scans, and several of the bodies scanned revealed identifiable medical devices, including hip and knee prosthetics, pacemakers, and a coronary artery stent.