Dennis C. Dirkmaat is the Chair of the undergraduate program in Applied Forensic Sciences and the Masters of Science in Anthropology at Mercyhurst University.

A Companion to Forensic Anthropology presents the most comprehensive assessment of the philosophy, goals, and practice of forensic anthropology currently available, with chapters by renowned international scholars and experts.
* Highlights the latest advances in forensic anthropology research, as well as the most effective practices and techniques used by professional forensic anthropologists in the field
* Illustrates the development of skeletal biological profiles and offers important new evidence on statistical validation of these analytical methods.
* Evaluates the goals and methods of forensic archaeology, including the preservation of context at surface-scattered remains, buried bodies and fatal fire scenes, and recovery and identification issues related to large-scale mass disaster scenes and mass grave excavation.

List of Illustrations ix
List of Tables xvi
Notes on Contributors xvii
About This Book xxix
Acknowledgments xxxv
Part I Introduction and Brief History of Forensic Anthropology 1
1 Forensic Anthropology: Embracing the New Paradigm 3
Dennis C. Dirkmaat and Luis L. Cabo
Part II Recovery of Human Remains from Outdoor Contexts 41
Introduction to Part II 43
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
2 Documenting Context at the Outdoor Crime Scene: Why Bother? 48
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
3 Determining the Forensic Significance of Skeletal Remains 66
John J. Schultz
4 The Application of Ground-Penetrating Radar for Forensic Grave Detection 85
John J. Schultz
5 Crime Scene Perspective: Collecting Evidence in the Context of the Criminal Incident 101
Michael J. Hochrein
6 The Role of Forensic Anthropology in the Recovery and Interpretation of the Fatal-Fire Victim 113
Dennis C. Dirkmaat, Gregory O. Olson, Alexandra R. Klales, and Sara Getz
7 Forensic Anthropology at the Mass Fatality Incident ( Commercial Airliner) Crash Scene 136
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
8 Mass Graves and Human Rights: Latest Developments, Methods, and Lessons Learned 157
Hugh H. Tuller
9 Archaeology, Mass Graves, and Resolving Commingling Issues through Spatial Analysis 175
Luis L. Cabo, Dennis C. Dirkmaat, James M. Adovasio, and Vicente C. Rozas
Part III Developments in Forensic Osteology 197
Introduction to Part III 199
Luis L. Cabo
10 Developments in Forensic Anthropology: Age-at-Death Estimation 202
Heather M. Garvin, Nicholas V. Passalacqua, Natalie M. Uhl, Desina R. Gipson, Rebecca S. Overbury, and Luis L. Cabo
11 Skeletal Age Estimation: Where We Are and Where We Should Go 224
George R. Milner and Jesper L. Boldsen
12 Adult Sex Determination: Methods and Application 239
Heather M. Garvin
13 Sexual Dimorphism: Interpreting Sex Markers 248
Luis L. Cabo, Ciarán P. Brewster, and Juan Luengo Azpiazu
14 Morphoscopic Traits and the Assessment of Ancestry 287
Joseph T. Hefner, Stephen D. Ousley, and Dennis C. Dirkmaat
15 Fordisc 3 and Statistical Methods for Estimating Sex and Ancestry 311
Stephen D. Ousley and Richard L. Jantz
16 Estimating Stature 330
Stephen D. Ousley
Part IV Developments in Human Skeletal Trauma Analysis 335
Introduction to Part IV 337
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
17 Interpreting Traumatic Injury to Bone in Medicolegal Investigations 340
Steven A. Symes, Ericka N. L' Abbé, Erin N. Chapman, Ivana Wolff, and Dennis C. Dirkmaat
18 The Biomechanics of Gunshot Trauma to Bone: Research Considerations within the Present Judicial Climate 390
Hugh E. Berryman, Alicja K. Lanfear, and Natalie R. Shirley
19 Developments in Skeletal Trauma: Blunt-Force Trauma 400
Nicholas V. Passalacqua and Todd W. Fenton
Part V Advances in Human Identification 413
Introduction to Part V 415
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
20 Advances in the Anthropological Analysis of Cremated Remains 418
Traci L. Van Deest, Michael W. Warren, and Katelyn L. Bolhofner
21 Human Identification Using Skull-Photo Superimposition and Forensic Image Comparison 432
Norman J. Sauer, Amy R. Michael, and Todd W. Fenton
22 DNA Analysis and the Classic Goal of Forensic Anthropology 447
Luis L. Cabo
23 DNA Identification and Forensic Anthropology: Developments in DNA Collection, Analysis, and Technology 462
David Boyer
Part VI Forensic Taphonomy 471
Introduction to Part VI 473
Dennis C. Dirkmaat and Nicholas V. Passalacqua
24 Current Research in Forensic Taphonomy 477
Marcella H. Sorg, William D. Haglund, and Jamie A. Wren
25 The Use of Taphonomy in Forensic Anthropology: Past Trends and Future Prospects 499
Mark O. Beary and R. Lee Lyman
Part VII Forensic Anthropology Beyond Academia 529
Introduction to Part VII 531
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
26 Forensic Anthropologists in Medical Examiner 's and Coroner 's Offices: A History 534
Hugh E. Berryman and Alicja K. Lanfear
27 Forensic Anthropology at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner 549
Christopher W. Rainwater, Christian Crowder, Kristen M. Hartnett, Jeannette S. Fridie, Benjamin J. Figura, Jennifer Godbold, Scott C. Warnasch, and Bradley J. Adams
28 The Many Hats of a Recovery Leader: Perspectives on Planning and Executing Worldwide Forensic Investigations and Recoveries at the JPAC Central Identification Laboratory 567
Paul D. Emanovsky and William R. Belcher
Part VIII Forensic Anthropology Outside North America 593
Introduction to Part VIII 595
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
29 European Perspectives and the Role of the Forensic Archaeologist in the UK 598
Nicholas Márquez-Grant, Stephen Litherland, and Julie Roberts
30 The Establishment and Advancement of Forensic Anthropology in South Africa 626
Ericka N. L' Abbé and Maryna Steyn
31 The Application of Forensic Anthropology to the Investigation of Cases of Political Violence 639
Luis Fondebrider
Part IX Ethics, Overview, and the Future of Forensic Anthropology 649
Introduction to Part IX 651
Dennis C. Dirkmaat
32 The Pervasiveness of Daubert 654
Stephen D. Ousley and R. Eric Hollinger
33 Ethics in Forensic Anthropology 666
Diane L. France
34 An "Outsider" Look at Forensic Anthropology 683
James M. Adovasio
Index 690