Disaster Victim Identification & Recovery

“A disaster is an unexpected event causing the death or injuring many people. Many different kinds of events can lead to disasters. It is important to distinguish between open and closed forms of disasters. An open disaster is a major catastrophic event resulting in the deaths of a number of unknown individuals for whom no prior records or descriptive data are available. A closed disaster is a major catastrophic event resulting in the deaths of number of individuals belonging to a fixed, identifiable group (e.g. aircraft crash with passenger list).”

 

In case of a disaster victims need to be identified as soon as possible after the event. However identification is often difficult as visual recognition is in most cases no longer feasible. This means that other ways of identification have to be utilized. The best way conducting a DVI is therefore comparing fingerprints, dental remains and DNA of the deceased with materials collected through the relatives, friends and/or physicians of the possible victims and missing persons assumed to have been at the location of the disaster at the time of the event. This material is called Ante Mortem as it originated from when the (possible) victim was still alive.

  • Fingerprint analysis: fingerprints are unique, they do not change and can be classified using well-established techniques.
  • Forensic odontology: human teeth and jaws are unique to an individual and because teeth are well protected in the oral cavity and capable of withstanding many external influences (one of the hardest and most resilient substance in the body) they can be used for identification.
  • DNA analysis: DNA is a proven source of identification, as a significant portion of the genetic information contained in a cell is unique to a specific individual and thus differs – except in identical twins - from one person to the next. DNA testing can even be performed on cases involving partial, severely decomposed remains.
  • Personal descriptions and medical findings: a personal description contains age, gender, height, ethnic affiliation and other specific characteristics (e.g. tattoos). Medical findings include (surgical) and unique (numbered) medical devices (e.g. heart pace-makers and prosthetic devices) are reliable identifying features.
  • Effects found on the body: personal effects found on the body include jewelry, articles of clothing, personal identification documents, etc. However in using these effects for identification purposes it is always important to consider that the items might not belong to the body to which it appears to be associated.
 
The DVI reconciliation team will aim to match the collected PM data with the AM data in order to establish the identity the victim with absolute certainty. The result of the PM/AM comparison is not always conclusive and therefore the match might render the following outcomes:
 
  • Identification completed: absolute certainty that PM and AM data originated most definitely from the same individual • Identification probable: specific characteristics match, but either PM or AM data is insufficient to draw the conclusion with absolute certainty
  • Identification possible: nothing that excludes the identity of the victim based on the comparison of PM or AM data, both data sets are minimal
  • Identity excluded: absolute certainty that PM and AM data originated from different individuals
  • No comparison can be made based on the PM and AM data sets as both are too minimal to be conclusive 
 

The process of matching PM and AM data is based on sequentially applying a set of classification criteria. The most simple and most practical ones are gender (male/ female) and age (adult/child). Other more differentiating criteria (height, ethnic affiliation) are more directly affected by mutilation and/or decompo sition of the bodies of the victims. After the initial classification of the victims has been completed based on gender and age, there will be a screeni ng applied against a list of key markers (e.g. medical foreign bodies, dental abnormalities, scars, tattoos). Once a high likelihood has been established based on the key marker list a more detailed PM/AM comparison (fingerprints, DNA, detailed dental matching) is made. Based on the above it is evident that both the PM and AM data collection process needs to be conducted with the highest care possible. The process follows much the same requirements the chain of custody seen in crime scene evidence collecting and processing. Especially the collection of AM data poses substantial challenges for DVI investigators, and requires a specialized approach. 
 
We believe that there is great benefit of proactively collecting partial Ante Mortem data in the absence of a disastrous event for high(er) risk individuals
 
During the DVI process speed is of the essence, but a balance has to be struck between receiving the most optimal AM data quality and the speed by which this data can be obtained. Swift recovery of AM data required for PM comparison is very important for next of kin of the missing persons and/or victims as positive identification of the victim will bring much needed closure (ending uncertainty, allowing for a proper mourning process and helping to avoid administrative and financial problems resulting from uncertainty). However the AM data collection process in not only highly time-consuming (negatively impacting the speed of identification), but also highly impactful on the next relatives and friends of the missing person/victim. Collection of AM data is much more time-consuming, and often of lesser quality when collected during the AM process instead of having been compiled with the (highly unlikely) event of a disaster in mind:
 
  • Fingerprints, palm prints and footprints can be collected for high risk individuals (as is often done for airline personnel) providing absolute certainty of the fingerprint origin
  • DNA samples can be taken and therefore provide absolute certainty with regards to their origin and therefore avoiding DNA sampling of relatives
  • Medical / dental address lists can be easily compiled and updated beforehand and care providers can be alerted towards the AM data need, which will lead to better record keeping
  • Key differentiating medical / dental records can be pre-collected (e.g. written statements, X-rays) which will facilitate the speed by which a AM/PM key marker comparison list can be compiled
  • Personal differentiating characteristics can be accurately recorded in a way AM data could never provide (e.g. detailed descriptions and high quality photographs)
 
Because of the above list of advantages Forensic Medical provides an Ante Mortem data collection service as part of a disaster readiness program for Executives and other high risk individuals like airline personnel, journalists active in high risk environment, NGO employees etc.