The story of a homicide: The location, exhumation, and multidisciplinary analysis of a clandestine burial

Abstract

This article presents a case study of a victim murdered in 2008 and found in a clandestine burial. The body was found in 2019 outside a rural residence in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. The article’s objective is to demonstrate the relevance of having archaeologists and anthropologists on-site and the importance of multidisciplinary laboratory analysis as part of a continuous process of investigation. The search, location, exhumation, and interpretation of the burial was carried out using archaeological methods. In the laboratory, we reconstructed the biological profile and cause of death using forensic anthropology, dentistry, image diagnosis, and genetics. The postmortem interval and history were reconstructed from the entomological and taphonomic analyses. The individual’s identity was confirmed and the evidence made it possible to locate and prosecute those responsible for the murder. Finally, the classic indicators of burial are discussed in relation to those found in the case study presented here. The unsystematic techniques used by the scientific police in cases of buried corpses are also critically assessed. We reflect on the importance of collecting adequate scientific evidence to support a legal case.

Keywords

• Forensic anthropology
• Forensic archaeology
• Forensic entomology
• Clandestine burial
• Case report