An important duty of coroners, medical examiners, and forensic pathologists involve s the identification (ID) of deceased individuals. While this process does not usually present many difficulties, the consequences of misidentification can be significant and long lasting. The most common mistake involves the inadvertent misidentification of two bodies as each other. This type of error is most likely to occur in cases of multiple deaths in a single incident, particularly if the deceased individuals are of the same gender and race, with similar ages and sizes. The possibility of such errors is also increased in busy offices where there are many bodies entering and exiting the facility on a daily basis, particularly if there are not well-established identification policies and procedures in place.
In many cases investigated by medicolegal death teams, initial inquiries will produce a preliminary or tentative identification. For example, important circumstantial evidence, such as...
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Prahlow, J.A., Byard, R.W. (2012). Identification of Human Remains. In: Prahlow, J.A., Byard, R.W. (eds) Atlas of Forensic Pathology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-058-4_9
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