ABSTRACT
The majority of skeletal cases that pass through the laboratory for a forensic anthropologist to analyze are usually recovered from a field context. That is, the remains were discovered in a location outside the laboratory. This is in contrast to skeletal material which may occasionally be mailed to the medical examiner’s office or even dropped off at the doorstep of the laboratory. In these situations, where the bones came from may never be known. However, in the majority of cases, skeletal analysis begins in the field. Sometimes, remains are discovered by citizens who inadvertently stumble upon them while hiking in mountains, hunting, doing construction, and so on. Sometimes, law enforcement personnel discover remains while investigating an area for other reasons. In addition, sometimes, investigators are led to a location by an informant, who specifically points out a location where a decedent is buried. The actual location, or site, from where skeletal remains are discovered may contain a wealth of information regarding how they originally got there. This contextual information is critical to ascertain, especially if a crime was committed. Therefore, the proper recovery of skeletal material in the field is of paramount importance to the forensic anthropologist.
