“How long are bones preserved for at a crime scene?”
I am a 42 year old male. I want to know how long are bones preserved for at a crime scene?
2 Answers
Psychologist|ForensicForensicPathology
As early as 6 years and as long as 30 years.
If these bones are human bones the first priority is to identify who's bones they are. So the bones are collected, categorized and evaluated for trauma or medical issues. If we have an idea of who the person might be we try to identify the person by their teeth or a known medical device in the body or by DNA. Once the bones are identified as a person, they are given to the family for proper burial. If we cannot identify the bones, we try to identify everything about the bones, height, approximate age, sex. We evaluate any clothes at the scene for approximate weight. We have a forensic dentist look at the teeth and have DNA done. We then place all the information in a web site called NAMUS - which is for missing people and unidentified people. Hopefully through investigation we can identify the person and bury them. If they are not identified after several years we bury them in a known location so if ultimately the bones are identified, they can be returned to the family.
