Radiocarbon dating as tool to assist in triaging cases of unidentified human remains in Victoria, Australia: A case series

In cases where human remains are unidentified because there is no initial identification hypothesis, limited contextual information, and/or poor preservation, radiocarbon (14C) dating may be a useful tool to further assist with identification. Through measuring the amount of 14C remaining in organic material, such as bone, teeth, nail, or hair, radiocarbon dating may provide an estimated year of birth and year of death for a deceased person. This information, may assist in, establishing whether a case of unidentified human remains (UHR) is actually of medicolegal significance and therefore, requires forensic investigation and identification. This case series highlights the application of 14C dating to seven of the 132 UHR cases in Victoria, Australia. Cortical bone was sampled from each case and the level of 14C was measured to provide an estimated year of death. Four of the seven cases analyzed contained the levels of 14C consistent with an archeological timeframe, one contained a level of 14C consistent with a modern (i.e., of medicolegal significance) timeframe, and the results for the remaining two samples were inconclusive. Applying this technique not only reduced the number of UHR cases in Victoria but also has investigative, cultural, and practical implications for medicolegal casework in general.