ABSTRACT
The basic method of obtaining a positive identification through radiography involves comparing antemortem radiographs of a missing person with those obtained from a decedent’s skeletal remains. This involves both a point-by-point visual comparison between osteological structures and a match between measurements taken on the two radiographs (Krogman, 1962). When all attributes are in agreement, a positive identification is concluded. An especially favored feature for this type of analysis is the frontal sinus, because extensive study has demonstrated that these structures are unique to individuals and therefore can be used for this purpose (Ubelaker, 1984). In the past, any trait of a nature pictured in an antemortem radiograph has been used. This has included the unique shape of a first rib (Maples and Browning, 1994), an odd contour of the proximal edge of a scapula (Ubelaker and Scammell, 1992), and a defect on the dorsal side of a patella (Riddick et al., 1983), to name only a few. However, with the greater and greater emphasis on Daubert, forensic anthropologists have begun to develop standard methods for gathering radiographic data, and testing its reliability and replicability before using in a forensic context. In the following section, the formal method for comparing the radiographs of the frontal sinus will be presented. Afterward, the more general methods for obtaining identifications from other bony structures will be summarized.
