Forensic identification : putting a name and face on death
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 68-69) and index.

About 4,000 unidentified deceased persons are discovered in the United States every year. But forensic experts are successful in identifying about 3,000 of those bodies within a year. In Human Identification: Putting a Name and Face on Death , forensic anthropologist Dr. Elizabeth A. Murray takes readers into the morgues and forensic labs where experts use advanced technology to determine the identities of dead bodies whose names are not known because the bodies are mutilated, decomposed beyond recognition, or cut into pieces. She also explores what happens to the cadavers and remains that belong to people who have been missing for so long that law enforcement and forensic files are no longer active. Through a wide range of fascinating scientific methodsÂ-including DNA testing, facial reconstruction, dental records, blood analysis, fingerprinting, and x rays--forensic specialists work to piece together the stories that will give names back to the unknown dead and missing. Come along to watch the experts do their amazing work. --Amazon.com book description.