| Title: |
Application and implications of radiocarbon dating in forensic case work: when medico-legal significance meets archaeological relevance |
| Authors: |
Bertrand, Benoit; Clauzel, Thibault; Richardin, Pascale; Bécart, Anne; Morbidelli, Philippe; Hédouin, Valery; Marques, Carina |
| Contributors: |
Université de Lille; Unité de Taphonomie médico-légale et Anatomie - ULR 7367 (UTML&A); Université de Lille-Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire CHU Lille (CHRU Lille); Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE); Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)); Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA); Géochrononologie Traceurs Archéométrie (GEOTRAC); Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)); Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France (C2RMF); Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (MCC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); Technologie et Ethnologie des Mondes Préhistoriques (TEMPS); Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (UP1)-Université Paris Nanterre (UPN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); This work was supported with funding from the Hauts-de France Region (France) (Dispositif STIMulE—Volet Partenarial STIP). |
| Source: |
ISSN: 2096-1790. |
| Publisher Information: |
CCSD; Taylor & Francis |
| Publication Year: |
2024 |
| Collection: |
Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines: HAL-UVSQ |
| Subject Terms: |
Time of death; 14C; bomb-pulse dating; postmortem interval; forensic anthropology; identification; [SHS.ART]Humanities and Social Sciences/Art and art history |
| Description: |
International audience ; The estimation of the postmortem interval for skeletal remains is a crucial aspect of forensic anthropology. This paper illustrates the importance of radiocarbon analysis for establishing medico-legal significance and supporting forensic identification, through the analysis of three case studies for which the years of both birth and death were investigated. In Audresselles, Northern France, a partial skull was discovered with no contextual information or identity. Radiocarbon dating yielded an average calibrated calendar age of 4232 BCE (92.5% probability), indicating significant archaeological value but no forensic relevance. In the second case, skeletal remains were found in the flooded underground of a historical fort at Wimereux, Northern France, also with no identity. Radiocarbon dating based on the bomb-pulse curve indicated a calibrated date of death in 1962 CE (37.3% probability) or 1974–1975 CE (58.1% probability), both surpassing the French statute of limitations. Lastly, a skeleton with a suspected identity was discovered near Valenciennes, Northern France, and various biological tissues underwent radiocarbon dating. A bone sample suggested a calibrated date of death of 1998–2002 CE (84.6% probability), differing from a hair sample (2013–2018 CE, 83.3% probability) because of the slower bone tissue remodeling process. DNA analysis confirmed the person's identity, reported missing a decade prior to the discovery of the remains, following the alignment of the radiocarbon results with the individual's year of birth based on dental tissues and year of death. These case studies reveal that traditional radiocarbon dating and bomb-pulse dating are essential tools for estimating the postmortem interval, providing mutual benefits for archaeologists, forensic anthropologists, and the criminal justice system. Key points |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/39435462; PUBMED: 39435462 |
| DOI: |
10.1093/fsr/owae046 |
| Availability: |
https://hal.science/hal-04941217; https://hal.science/hal-04941217v2/document; https://hal.science/hal-04941217v2/file/owae046.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1093/fsr/owae046 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ ; info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.4DBEFF0F |
| Database: |
BASE |