BURNT HUMAN REMAINS. RECOVERY, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION

1 History of the Study of Burnt Remains 1
• Part 1 Search and Recovery of Burnt Human Remains from the Fire Scene
2 Fire Environments and Characteristic Burn Patterns of Human Remains from Four Common Types of Fatal Fire Scenes 13
3 Recovery and Interpretation of Human Remains from Fatal Fire Scenes 37
4 Considerations to Maximize Recovery of Post-mortem Dental Information to Facilitate Identification of Severely Incinerated Human Remains 59
• Part 2 Examination and Identification of Burnt Human Remains
5 Methods for Analyzing Burnt Human Remains 75
6 Burnt Human Remains and Forensic Medicine 99
7 Skeletal Alteration of Burnt Remains through Fire Exposure 113
8 Challenges of Biological Profile Estimation from Burnt Remains 133
9 Victim Identification: The Role of Incinerated Dental Materials 147
10 Techniques for the Differentiation of Blunt Force Sharp Force and Gunshot Traumas from Heat Fractures in Burnt Remains 167
• Part 3 Analytical Approaches to the Analysis of Burnt Bone
11 Biochemical Alterations of Bone Subjected to Fire 193
12 DNA Profiling from Burnt Remains 213
13 Applying Colorimetry to the Study of Low Temperature Thermal Changes in Bone 229
14 The Use of Histology to Distinguish Animal from Human Burnt Bone with Reference to Some Limitations 241
15 Isotope Analysis from Cremated Remains 273
16 The Application of Imaging to Heat-Induced Bone 291
17 The First Reference Collection for the Research of Burnt Human Skeletal Remains Stemming from the 21st Century Identified Skeletal Collection (Portugal) 313
• Part 4 Case Studies
18 Analysis of Burnt Human Remains: Statistical Perspectives from Casework in Forensic Anthropology 337
19 The Challenge of Burnt Remains from the Brazilian “Microwave Oven” 345
20 Recovery and Identification of Fatal Fire Victims from the 2018 Northern California Camp Fire Disaster 371
21 Recovery and Identification of Burnt Remains in a Military Theatre of Operations: The Warrior Six 383
22 Volcanoes Bones and Heat: The Case of the AD 79 Victims of Vesuvius 407

BURNT HUMAN REMAINS
An all-encompassing reference and guide designed for professionals involved in the forensic analysis of burnt remains
Burnt Human Remains: Recovery, Analysis and Interpretation presents an in-depth multidisciplinary approach to the detection, recovery, analysis, and identification of thermally altered remains. Bridging the gap between research and practice, this invaluable one-stop reference provides detailed coverage of analytical techniques in forensic medicine and pathology, forensic anthropology, forensic odontology, and forensic chemistry and forensic biology. Contributions from a panel of expert authors review the newest findings in forensics research and discuss their applicability to forensic case work.
Opening with a historical overview of the discipline, the book covers the search and recovery aspects of burnt human remains, medico-legal investigations, determination of the post mortem interval of burnt remains, structural changes of burnt bone and teeth, DNA extraction from burnt remains, and much more. Throughout the text, the authors emphasize the importance of understanding the changes undergone by bodies when subjected to fire for establishing identity, reconstructing the events leading up to incineration, and determining the cause and manner of death.
• Provides a systemic framework that integrates established forensic methods and state-of-the-art analytical approaches
• Describes different forensic analyses from the macroscopical, microscopical, biochemical, and molecular level
• Features international case studies of challenging individual cases as well as natural or man-made mass fatalities requiring the identification of incinerated remains
• Demonstrates how changes to the macro- and microstructure of burnt remains can reveal information about incineration conditions
• Discusses organizations and programs focused on developing standards and best practice for the recovery and analysis burnt remains

Burnt Human Remains: Recovery, Analysis and Interpretation is an indispensable resource for all practitioners engaged in the interpretation of burned human tissue, including pathologists, forensic chemists, forensic biologists, forensic anthropologists, forensic odontologists, and archaeologists.