Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Raccoon Scavenging And The Taphonomic Effects On Early Human Decomposition And Pmi Estimation, Jacob K. Smith

Masters Theses

Forensic investigators must consider the effects of numerous taphonomic variables when estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) in forensic cases, such as temperature and insect activity. Efforts to quantify the decomposition process have been made. Megyesi et al. (2005) modified the categories and stages of decomposition presented by Galloway et al. (1989), and introduced a total body scoring system that uses accumulated degree-days to estimate PMI. However, none of these systems include the potential effects of animal scavenging. Galloway et al. (1989) stated that carnivorous activity occurs mainly during advanced decomposition and mummification. Haglund et al. (1989) specifically investigated canid scavenging …

Studies In Taphonomy: Bone And Soft Tissue Modifications By Postmortem Scavengers, Jennifer Ann Synstelien

Doctoral Dissertations

This study documented animal scavengers at the University of Tennessee’s Anthropology Research Facility. Remotely-captured digital video and still photography equipment was stationed at the outdoor human decomposition facility intermittently from September 2003 through October 2009. The primary scavengers of corpses were identified as the northern raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), brown rat (Rattus norvegicus), and white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus); and the primary scavenger of skeletal remains was the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Among these species, the raccoon was the dominant scavenger and is the focus of this report.

The captured imagery of …

The Preservation And Persistence Of Human Dna In Soil During Cadaver Decomposition, Alexandra Leah Emmons

Masters Theses

Recent decades have seen a marked increase in the amount of research concerning the impact of human cadaveric decomposition on the grave soil environment; however, despite such advances, the fate of important biological correlates in grave soil, including human DNA, have remained relatively understudied. This study redresses the current lack of knowledge regarding the preservation and persistence of human DNA in the soil during cadaveric decomposition, with the purpose of enhancing forensic identification efforts including the detection of primary burial sites. This study assessed the preservation (i.e., presence or absence) of human nuclear and mitochondrial DNA and evaluated the quantity …