ABSTRACT
The estimation of age at death is the third demographic characteristic that aids law enforcement officials in narrowing their search of missing persons files for a match with human remains. Although roughly determinable from fully fleshed bodies using amount of skin wrinkling and hair graying, in the absence of written documentation, the most reliable methods for determining age at death from the human body rely on bone changes. As seen in Chapter 2, bones are not static during life but constantly changing, albeit slowly and in tiny increments. Since these alterations follow a rough schedule, observance of characteristics known to change through time can be used to determine the age at death of deceased (and of living) persons.
