| Abstract [eng] |
The analysis of human skeletal remains is an important part of forensic medicine, especially when identifying unknown individuals and understanding the circumstances of death. In most of the forensic medicine cases, skeletons are rarely found complete. They are often fragmented, partially preserved, or mixed with other remains. This makes it more difficult to reconstruct a biological profile, such as age, sex, stature and ancestry. Because of this, understanding skeletal completeness and bone recovery patterns is essential. The aim of this thesis was to examine which bones are most frequently recovered in forensic cases and what factors may influence skeletal completeness. The study is based on data collected from 48 forensic cases in Lithuania between 2023 and 2025, including approximately 100 individuals. The data included information about recovered bones, recovery locations, postmortem damage and whether the remains were single or commingled. Data was analyzed with Microsoft excel, where all the bones found were marked separately, and further analyzed with R studio. The results showed that skeletal recovery varies between different bone groups. The most commonly recovered bones were ribs and vertebral bones, followed by skull bones such as the frontal and temporal bones. Pelvic bones and some of the long bones, such as fibula and clavicle, were less commonly recovered. When bones were grouped anatomically, skull bones were the most represented, while pelvic bones were the least represented. The study also found that the presence of the skull and pelvis, increased the probability of determining sex. However, even when these bones were present, identification was not always possible due to fragmentation and preservation issues. Environmental factors also influenced bone recovery. The highest number of the bones was found in underground contexts, while fewer bones were recovered from surface, indoor or water environments. Fragmentation was very common and was observed in most of the cases. Commingled remains were relatively frequent and were more often associated with presence of children compared to single burials. Animal bones were found in a smaller number of cases. Results showed that most frequently found bones are skull bones, ribs and vertebrae and that skeletal completeness is highly variable and influenced by bone type, recovery conditions and postmortem changes. |
