ABSTRACT
The identification of unknown individuals is an integral aspect of the medico-legal death investigation and is important in our society for both legal and humanitarian reasons. Legally, many issues depend on the ability to establish identity, including inheritance and succession to property, collection of insurance policies and pensions, detection of fraudulent deaths, accident reconstruction, remarriage, issuance of a death certificate, and other matters concerning property and business interactions. Morally, identification is often critical in closure and resolution for surviving relatives and friends, as well as being important in matters of international concern such as conflict and human rights investigations.
