Twenty-five years of unidentified bodies: an account from Milano, Italy

Twenty-five years of unidentified bodies: an account from Milano, Italy

The identification of decedents has always been a central issue in forensic pathology, for ethical, criminal, and administrative reasons, but today, it needs more attention due to issues related not only to migration but also to the weakening of family ties. This article presents a descriptive study...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of legal medicine Vol. 135; no. 5; pp. 1983 - 1991
Main Authors: Mazzarelli, Debora, Milotta, Lorenzo, Franceschetti, Lorenzo, Maggioni, Lidia, Merelli, Vera Gloria, Poppa, Pasquale, Porta, Davide, De Angelis, Danilo, Cattaneo, Cristina
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-09-2021
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Anthropology
Autopsies
Crime
Epidemiology
Forensic anthropology
Forensic Medicine
Forensic pathology
Legal medicine
Medical Law
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Original Article
Forensic anthropology
Forensic genetics
Forensic pathology
Human identification
Missing person
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Summary:The identification of decedents has always been a central issue in forensic pathology, for ethical, criminal, and administrative reasons, but today, it needs more attention due to issues related not only to migration but also to the weakening of family ties. This article presents a descriptive study discussing the Italian regulatory situation developed in the last decade to face the many identification issues, with all its improvements and flaws. Hence, data gathered in 25 years of at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan and the epidemiology of unidentified decedents are illustrated. Briefly, from 1995 to 2019, the number of unidentified human remains with no identity or requesting verification of identity amounts to 726, i.e., 3% circa of all autopsies performed at the Institute, with an average of 29 individuals per year. In total, 528 (72.7%) individuals were successfully identified, 100 (13.8%) remained without an identity, and 98 (13.5%) individuals remained with suspected yet unconfirmed identities. Percentages for each identification technique are displayed, with insight into the role of forensic anthropology and odontology compared to genetics, and into the misuse of non-scientific methods allowed by Public Prosecutors. All the data is compared, as much as possible, with the very few recent studies concerning the problem worldwide. Finally, the article aims to show the Italian experience in dealing with unidentified bodies, in order to provide food for thought for other countries toward a discussion regarding a global issue which is sometimes taken for granted and underestimated.
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ISSN:0937-9827
1437-1596
DOI:10.1007/s00414-021-02560-9