Multi-Disciplinary Approach toward the Identification of a Human Skull Found 55 km off the Southeast Coast of Ireland (original) (raw)
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Advances in Forensic Human Identification, 2014
The coast off the southeastern tip of Ireland has been, over the years, the site of many 'finds' involving human remains in various stages of decomposition and disarticulation. There are a number of reasons for this, including the direction of the current and the convergence of two seas, the Irish Sea and the Celtic Sea, via the St. George's Channel. There is a huge volume of shipping traffic, both commercial and passenger, and the area is well known as a graveyard for shipwrecks over the centuries. The area is also heavily fished by commercial trawlers, who themselves have been the victims of many a wreck. The most popular method of fishing is beam trawling, which involves the use of heavy gear trawling the sea floor, and this results in frequent finds by fishermen of remains: In the majority of cases, the finds are quickly excluded as animal in origin; however, on a number of occasions, human remains are recovered. 9
Technical Report: Fish remains from the Drogheda Boat, Ireland
The fish remains recovered from a 16 th century Irish shipwreck were analysed and found to consist entirely of Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus. All material was sieved to 300μ. A minimum of 513 herring were present in the samples studied, making it likely many thousands of herring had been the original cargo. Element patterning indicated the herring were butchered to remove elements from the appendicular region, most likely along with some of the guts; the herring were therefore probably picked in salt and barrelled for long-term preservation. The herring found were mostly between 20 and 30cm total length, probably reflecting exploitation of autumn-spawning populations around the Isle of Man and the east coast of Ireland. Historical sources indicate that substantial trade in preserved herring was undertaken between the eastern Irish ports and English ports, including Bristol. The herring were recovered from a total of 14 barrels, and thus might have comprised one 'last', a commonly traded commercial unit of about 10,000 to 14,000 herring.
The Identification of Submerged Skeletonized Remains
The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2008
Examination was undertaken of skeletonized remains contained within 2 rubber boots dredged by a fishing boat from a depth of 145 m, approximately 185 km off the southern Australian coast in the Great Australian Bight. The boots had been manufactured in Australia in July 1993 and were of a type commonly used by local fishermen. Examination of the lower legs and feet revealed well-preserved bones with arthritic changes in keeping with an older male. DNA analyses using reference samples taken from relatives of fishermen who had disappeared in the area resulted in the identification of the victim as a 52-year-old prawn fisherman who had been swept off a boat over a decade earlier. DNA stability had been maintained by the low light, cold temperatures, and alkaline pH of the ocean floor. Integration of pathologic, anthropologic, and biologic analyses with police investigations enabled a positive identification to be made despite the unusual nature of the location of the remains and the time lapse since the disappearance of the victim.
The number of annual maritime fatalities reported in the Mediterranean has more than doubled in the last two years, a phenomenon closely linked to the increase of migrants attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean. The majority of victims reportedly never gets recovered, which in part relates to the fact that the mechanisms and interaction of factors affecting marine taphonomy are still largely not understood. These factors include intrinsic factors such as whether the individual was alive or dead at the time of submergence, the individual's stature and clothing, as well as extrinsic factors such including ambient temperature, currents, water depth, salinity and oxygen levels. This paper provides a compilation of the current literature on factors influencing marine taphonomy, recovery and identification procedures for submerged remains, and discusses the implications for the retrieval and identification of maritime mass fatalities as part of the humanitarian response, specifically humanitarian forensic action, to the consequences of the current migration phenomenon.