ABSTRACT
Coastal areas are a frequent setting for forensic investigations, given the frequency of deaths at sea from homicide, suicide, and accidents (Boyle et al. 1997; Copeland 1987; Ebbesmeyer and Haglund 1994, 2002), burials at sea (London et al. 1997), the use of the ocean for deliberate remains disposal after terrestrial homicide (Ebbesmeyer and Haglund 2002), and the potential for transport of remains from river systems into the ocean (Bassett and Manheim 2002; Brooks and Brooks 1997; Dilen 1984; Haglund and Sorg 2002; Nawrocki et al. 1997). Coastal margins present an impenetrable barrier to the further transport of bodies or isolated skeletal elements moved by currents or wave action, with tidal fluctuations allowing objects to be deposited above the water line (Berkeley 2009; Liebig et al. 2003; Liebig et al. 2007; Pyenson 2010; Vullo 2009). Coastal margins also attract large numbers of people into a setting where any remains (skeletonized or fleshed) washing ashore are usually deposited in an exposed area devoid of plant cover. The overall effect is the concentration of many casual observers into a narrow area where exposed remains are typically easier to spot than in other terrestrial settings (forests, grasslands, etc.). The discovery of remains with soft tissue also may be aided by the attraction of avian and terrestrial scavengers feeding in groups. Bodies floating in harbors or other waterways high in marine traffic also increase their chances of discovery, as do suicides or accidental falls from bridges spanning these areas (Ebbesmeyer and Haglund 1994, 2002). This intersection of human activity with the other factors noted increases the frequency of discovery and recovery of human remains from these settings, and the attraction of humans to marine areas with their inherent lethal dangers increases the relative amount of remains in these environments.
