University of Cebu

College of Criminal Justice

Legal Medicine

Made by: Dr. Golda Mier Auxtero Artiaga

Modified by: Dr. Shedwin Mae Escobido
What is Legal Medicine?

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 AboutCONSIDERATIONS
GENERAL this template

Legal
● is that which pertains to law, arising out of, by virtue of or included in law
● also refers to anything conformable to the letters or rules of law as it is
administered by the court
Medicine
● is a science and art dealing with prevention, cure and alleviation of
disease
● the science and art of diagnosing, treating, curing and preventing
disease, relieving pain, and improving the health of a person

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 AboutCONSIDERATIONS
GENERAL this template

LEGAL MEDICINE
● branch of medicine
● deals with the application of medical knowledge
● to the purposes of law and in the administration of justice

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 About
SCOPE this template
OF LEGAL MEDICINE

● the application of medical and paramedical sciences as demanded

by law and administration of justice
● Examples:
○ knowledge of the nature and extent of wounds
○ sudden death and effects of trauma

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What is a Medical Jurist?

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 About this template
Medical Jurist

● A physician
● specializes or is involved primarily with medicolegal duties
● other terms: medical examiner, medicolegal officer, medico-legal expert
● must possess sufficient knowledge of pathology, surgery, gynecology,
toxicology and such other branches of medicine germane to the issues
involved

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 OrdinaryAbout this template
Physician vs Medical Jurist

Ordinary Physician Medical Jurist

sees an injury or disease on the point of sees injury or disease on the point of view
view of treatment of cause

examines a patient to arrive at a definite examines a patient to include those bodily

diagnosis so that appropriate treatment can lesions in his report and testify before the
be instituted court or before an investigative body; thus
giving justice to whom it is due

minor or trivial injuries are usually ignored must record all bodily injuries even if they
by inasmuch as they do not require usual are small or minor because these injuries
treatment may be proofs to qualify the crime or to
● superficial abrasions and other minor justify the act.
injuries will heal without medication

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 Legal About thismay
Medicine template
be Applied:

1. Civil Law
○ a mass of precepts that determines and
regulates the relation of assistance, authority,
and obedience between members of a family
and those which exist among members of a
society for the protection of private interest.

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 About this LAW
CIVIL template

○ legal medicine may be applied on the following:

■ The determination and termination of civil personality
■ The limitation or restriction of a natural person's capacity to act
■ The marriage and legal separation
■ The paternity and filiation
■ The testamentary capacity of a person making a will

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 Legal About thismay
Medicine template
be Applied:

2. Criminal Law
○ branch or division of law which defines crimes, treats
of their nature and provides for their punishment.
○ legal medicine may be applied on the following:
■ Circumstances affecting criminal liability
■ Crimes against person
■ Crimes against chastity

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 Legal About thismay
Medicine template
be Applied:

3. Remedial Law
○ deals with the rules concerning pleadings, practices and procedures in all
courts of the Philippines. It is the law which gives a party a remedy for a wrong.
○ legal medicine may be applied in the following provisions of the Rules of Court:
■ Physical and mental examination of a person
■ Proceedings for hospitalization of an insane person
■ Rules on evidences

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 Legal About thismay
Medicine template
be Applied:

4. Special Laws:
○ Dangerous Drug Act
○ Youth and Child Welfare Code
○ Insurance Law
○ Code of Sanitation

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MEDICAL EVIDENCE
 About thisEVIDENCE
MEDICAL template

Evidence
● the means of ascertaining in a judicial proceeding the truth
respecting a matter of fact (Sec. 1, Rule 128, Rules of Court)
● the species of proof, or probative matter, legally presented at the
trial of an issue by the act of the parties and through the medium of
witnesses, records, documents, concrete objects, for the purpose
of inducing belief in the minds of the court as to their contention

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 About thisEVIDENCE
MEDICAL template

Medical Evidence
● The means employed to prove a fact is medical in nature
● The rules of evidence shall be the same in all courts and on all
trials and hearings (Sec. 2, Rule 128, Rules of Court).

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 About thisEVIDENCE
MEDICAL template

Admissibility of Evidence (Sec. 3, Rule 128, Rules of Court)

● the character or quality which any material must
necessarily possess for it to be accepted and allowed to
be presented or introduced as evidence in court
● It answers the question: should the court allow the material
to be used as evidence by the party?

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 About thisEVIDENCE
MEDICAL template

Proof of:
● RELEVANCY - Evidence must have such a relation to the fact
in issue as to induce belief in its existence or non-existence
● AUTHENTICATION - The process of proving that the object
being presented in court is the very object involved in the event
● COMPETENCY - All facts having rational probative value are
admissible unless some specific law or rule forbids. In short
the evidence is not excluded by law or rules.

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 TYPESAbout this template
OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE

1. Autoptic or Real Evidence

2. Testimonial Evidence
3. Experimental Evidence
4. Documentary Evidence
5. Physical Evidence
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 TYPESAbout this template
OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE

1. Autoptic or Real Evidence

○ object as an evidence
○ sensual evidences
○ maybe seen, heard, smelled, felt or touched
○ weapons, clothing, blood samples, finger prints, wounds or scars in the body,
Limitations
● Indecency and Impropriety
○ may not allow exhibition of the private parts in sex cases, presentation of
the corpse or body parts, re-enactment of violent or offensive acts
● Repulsive Objects and those Offensive to Sensibilities
○ Foul smelling objects, persons suffering from highly infectious and
communicable disease, or objects which when touch may mean
potential danger to the life and health of the judge.

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 TYPESAbout this template
OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE

2. Testimonial Evidence
○ consisting of the narration of a person, made under oath and in
the course of the judicial proceedings in which the evidence is
offered
○ known as a witness
○ A physician may be presented in court as an ordinary witness
and/or as an expert witness

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 TYPESAbout this template
OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE

2. Testimonial Evidence
Opinion Rule (Sec. 42, Rule 130, Rules of Court)
● The opinion of witness is not admissible, except as indicated in the following:
○ Opinion of ordinary witnesses. — The opinion of a witness for which proper
basis is given, may be received in evidence regarding
■ the identity of a person about whom he has adequate knowledge
■ A handwriting with which he has sufficient familiarity
■ The mental sanity of a person with whom he is sufficiently acquainted.
○ Opinion of expert witness. — The opinion of a witness on a matter requiring
special knowledge, skill, experience or training which he shown to posses,
may be received in evidence.

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 TYPESAbout this template
OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE

Disqualification by reason of privileged communication

PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
● A person authorized to practice medicine, surgery or obstetrics cannot in a civil case,
without the consent of the patient, be examined as to any advice or treatment given by
him or any information which he may have acquired in attending such patient in a
professional capacity, which information was necessary to enable him to act in that
capacity, and which would blacken the reputation of the patient.
● Purposes
○ To inspire confidence in patients and encourage them to make a full disclosure of
all facts, circumstances or symptoms of their sickness, without fear of their future
disclosure
○ To protect the patient’s reputation

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 TYPESAbout this template
OF MEDICAL EVIDENCE

3. Experimental Evidence
○ Experimental evidence is comprised of observations generated under controlled conditions
○ makes it possible for scholars to draw causal inferences about a phenomenon under study
4. Documentary Evidence
○ consist of writing or any material containing letters, words, numbers, figures or other modes
of written expressions offered as proof of their contents
○ Medical Documentary Evidence:
■ Medical examination
■ Physical examination
■ Necropsy (autopsy)
■ Laboratory
■ Exhumation
■ Birth, Death
■ Medical Expert Opinion
■ Deposition

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 About thisEVIDENCE
MEDICAL template

5. Physical Evidence
○ articles and materials which are found in connection with the investigation
○ aid in establishing the identity of the perpetrator
○ Criminalistics - application of sciences in crime detection and investigation

Types of physical evidences:

a. Corpus Delicti Evidence — may be a part of the body of the crime.
b. Associative Evidence — link a suspect to the crime
c. Tracing Evidence —may assist the investigator in locating the suspect

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WHAT TYPE OF EVIDENCE IS THIS?

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27
WHAT TYPE OF EVIDENCE IS THIS?

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WHAT TYPE OF EVIDENCE IS THIS?

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 About this template
PRESERVATION OF EVIDENCE

● preserved to maintain their value when

presented as exhibits in court
● most medical evidences are easily
destroyed or physically or chemically
altered unless appropriate preservation
procedure are applied

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

1. Photographs, audio and/or video tape, micro-film, photostat, voice tracing

Photography is considered to be the most practical, useful and reliable means of
preservation.

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

2. Sketching
Kinds of Sketch:
● Rough Sketch — This is made at the
crime scene or during examination
of living or dead body.
● Finished Sketch — A sketch
prepared from the rough sketch for
court presentation.

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

Essential Elements to be Included in

a Sketch:
● Measurement
● Direction
● Essential item
● Scale and proportion
● Title and legend

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

3. Description
● This is putting into words the person or thing to be preserved.
● Describing a thing requires keen observation and a good
power of attention, perception, intelligence and
experience.
● It must cause a vivid impression on the mind of the
reader, a true picture of the thing described.

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

The minimum standard requirements in the description

of the person or thing to make it complete:
● a. Skin Lesion
● b. Penetrating Wound (Punctured or Stab or Gunshot)
● c. Hymenal laceration
● d. Person

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

4. Manikin Method
● A miniature model of a scene or of a human
body
● An anatomical model or statuette may be
used and injuries are indicated with their
appropriate legends

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

5. Preservation in the Mind of the Witness

● A person who perceived something
relevant for proper adjudication of a case
may be a witness in court if he has the
power to transmit to others what he
perceived
● recital of his collection
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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

Drawbacks of preserving evidence in the mind of the witness:

● The capacity of a person to remember time, place and event
may be destroyed or modified by the length of time, age of
the witness, confusion with other evidence, trauma or
disease, thereby making the recollection not reliable;
● The preservation is co-terminus with the life of the witness.
● Human mind can easily be subjected to too many
extraneous factors that may cause distortion of the truth

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 METHODSAbout this template
OF PRESERVING EVIDENCES

6. Special Methods
Special way of treating certain type of evidence may be necessary.

Some of the Special Ways of Preservation are:

a. Whole human body — embalming.
b. Soft tissues (skin, muscles, visceral organs) — 10% formalin solution.
c. Blood — refrigeration, sealed bottle container, addition of chemical preservatives.
d. Stains (blood, semen) — drying, placing in sealed container.
e. Poison — sealed container

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 About this
Kinds of Evidence template
Necessary for Conviction

1. Direct Evidence:
○ That which proves the fact in dispute without the aid of any inference or
presumption.
○ The evidence presented corresponds to to the precise or actual point at
issue.
○ Confession & Eye witness statement
2. Circumstantial Evidence:
○ The proof of fact or facts from which the existence of a particular fact in
dispute may be inferred as a necessary or probable consequence
○ Fingerprint, Hair, Fibers

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DECEPTION
DETECTION
What is Deception?

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 About
Methods this template
of Deception Detection

1. Devices which record the psycho-physiological response:

○ Use of a polygraph or a lie detector machine
○ Use of the word association test
○ Use of the psychological stress evaluator
2. Use of drugs that try to "inhibit the inhibitor"
○ Administration of " truth serum''
○ Narcoanalysis or narcosynthesis
○ Intoxication
3. Hypnotism
4. Observation
5. Scientific Interrogation
6. Confession

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Use of Lie Detector or Polygraph

● The fear of the subject when not telling the truth activates the
sympathetic nervous system to a series of automatic and
involuntary physiological changes which are recorded by the
instrument.

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Phases of the Examination:

1. Pre-test interview
2. Actual interrogation and recording
● Irrelevant questions
● Relevant questions
● Control questions
3. Post-test interrogation
4. Supplementary tests

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Reasons for the Inadmissibility To the Court of the Result of Polygraph Examination:

1. The polygraph techniques are still in the experimental stage and have not received the
degree of standardization of acceptance among scientists.

2. The trier of fact is apt to give almost conclusive weight to the polygraph expert's opinion.

3. There is no way to assure that a qualified examiner administered the test

The polygraph is capable of a high degree of accuracy only when conducted under
controlled conditions by an examiner who is highly qualified due to his ability, experience,
education and integrity.

4. The examinee may unwittingly waive his or her right against self-incrimination.

5. The test itself cannot be relied upon because it has many errors.

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Factors that are responsible for the 26% errors of the lie detector are as follows:

1. Nervousness or extreme emotional tension

a. Apprehension over being accused, result of the test, serious personal problems
not related

2. Physiological abnormalities such as:

a. Excessively high or excessively low blood pressure;
b. Diseases of the heart
c. Respiratory disorder

3. Mental abnormalities such as:

a. Feeblemindedness
b. Psychosis or insanities

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Factors that are responsible for the 26% errors of the lie detector are as follows:
4. Unresponsiveness in a living or guilty subject
● No fear of detection
● Apparent inability to consciously control response by means of certain mental
sets of attitudes
● A condition of " sub-shock" or "adrenal exhaustion" at the time of the test
● Rationalization of the crime in advance of the test to such an extent that lying
about the offense arouses little or no emotional disturbance
● Extensive interrogation prior to the test

5. Attempt to "beat the machine" by controlled breathing or by muscular flexing.

6. Unobserved application of muscular pressure which produces ambiguities and

misleading indications in the blood pressure tracing.

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Use of the Word Association Test:

● A list of stimulus and non-stimulus words are read to the subject who is
instructed to answer as quickly as possible.
● The answers to the questions may be a " yes" or a " no"
● The time interval between the words uttered by the examiner and the
answer of the subject is recorded.

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 About this template
PSYCHO-PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE

Use of the Psychological Stress Evaluator (PSE):

● based on the inaudible frequency modulations which are products of
minute oscillation of the muscles of the voice mechanism.
● detects, measures, and graphically displays the voice modulations that
we cannot hear.

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 About this template
Inadmissibility

● The results are not admissible as evidence

● They only serves as a mere aid to the investigators handling the
case for more lead

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 About
USE OF DRUGS TO this template
INHIBIT THE INHIBITOR

Administration of Truth Serum

● Administer Hyoscine Hydrobromide (Scopolamine)
● causes a state of delirium
● Questioning begins and the subject feels a compulsion to answer the questions
truthfully
● He forgets his alibi which he may have built up to cover his guilt. He may give details of
his acts or may even implicate others
Narcoanalysis or Narcosynthesis
● Administer Sodium Amytal or Sodium Penthotal
● causes depression of the inhibitory mechanism of the brain and the subject talks freely
Intoxication with Alcohol
● Administer Alcohol to almost intoxication
● diminishes the power to control

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 About this template
Admissibility

● Confessions made by the subject while under the influence of alcohol may
be admissible if he is physically capable to recollect the facts that he has
uttered after the effects of alcohol have disappeared.

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 About this template
Inadmissibility

● Statements taken from the subject while under the influence of truth
serum or narcoanalysis are not admissible as evidence.
● Because of the potential risks involved in the application of the procedure,
it is seldom used by law-enforcement agencies.
● But in most instances, the subject cannot recall everything that he had
mentioned or he may refuse to admit the truth of the statement given.

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 About this template
HYPNOSIS

Hypnosis
● the alteration of consciousness and concentration
● the subject manifests a heightened of suggestibility while
awareness is maintained
● Not all persons are susceptible to hypnotic induction. Subjects
who are compulsive-depressive type, strong-willed are usually
nonhypnotizable.

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 About this template
Inadmissibility

1. It lacks the general scientific acceptance of the reliability of hypnosis per se in

ascertaining the truth from falsity
2. The fear that the trier of fact will give uncritical and absolute reliability to a
scientific device without consideration of its flaw in ascertaining veracity.
3. The possibility that the hypnotized subject will deliberately fabricate;
4. The prospect that the state of heightened suggestibility in which the hypnotized
subject is suspended will produce distortion of the fact rather than the truth
5. The state of the mind, skill and professionalism of the examiner are too subjective
to permit admissibility of the expert testimony

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 About this template
OBSERVATION

● requires a good criminal investigator

● may exhibit changes based on sympathetic nervous system

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 About this template
OBSERVATION

Physiological and Psychological Signs and Symptoms of Guilt:

1. Sweating
2. Color change
3. Dryness of the mouth
4. Excessive activity of the Adam's apple
5. Fidgeting
6. Peculiar feeling inside
7. Swearing to the truthfulness of his assertion
8. "Spotless past record"
9. Inability to look at the investigator "straight in the eye"
10. "Not that I remember" expression

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 About this template
Inadmissibility

The combination of the different signs and symptoms is not

conclusive or a reliable proof of guilt of the subject. Their presence
infers further investigation to ascertain the truth of the impression.

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 About this
SCIENTIFIC template
INTERROGATION

● Interrogation is the questioning of a person suspected of having

committed an offense or of persons who are reluctant to make a full
disclosure of information in his possession which is pertinent to the
investigation
● It may be done on a suspect or a witness.

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 About this
SCIENTIFIC template
INTERROGATION

Different Types of Criminal Offenders:

1. Based on behavioral attitude
a. Active aggressive offenders
b. Passive inadequate offenders
2. Based on the state of mind
a. Rational offenders
b. Irrational offenders
3. Based on proficiency
a. Ordinary offenders
b. Professional offenders
4. Psychological classification
a. Emotional offenders
b. Non-emotional offenders

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 About this
SCIENTIFIC template
INTERROGATION

Techniques of Interrogation
1. Emotional appeal
2. Mutt and Jeff technique
3. Bluff on split-pair technique
4. Stern approach
5. The subject is given the opportunity to make a lengthy, time-consuming narration

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 About this template
CONFESSION

Confession
● The voluntary acknowledgement
● by a person of his guilt of the offense charged or of any offense included therein
● may be given in evidence against him.

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 About this template
CONFESSION

Kinds Of Confession
1. Extra-judicial Confession - confession made outside of the court prior to trial of the case.
● Voluntary
○ The confession is voluntary when the accused speaks on his free will and
accord, without inducement of any kind
● Involuntary
○ Confessions obtained through force, threat, intimidation, duress or
anything influencing the voluntary act of the confessor.

2. Judicial Confession - confession of an accused in court.

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 About this template
CONFESSION

Evidentiary value:
1. Confessions are admissible against the confessant. They are evidence of a high order for the
reason that no person in his right senses would admit his guilt or participation in the commission
of a crime, knowing that it would subject him to punishment. He must be prompted by truth.

2. But for purposes of conviction, the confession must be corroborated by evidence of corpus
delicti (body of the crime)

3. As to oral extra-judicial confessions, they afford no conclusive proof of that which they state but
merely present a prima facie case. It may still be proved they were uttered/made in ignorance, or
levity or mistake

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 About this template
Admissibility

1. That the confession must be voluntary i.e it was given freely, knowingly and intelligently.
2. The accused gave the confession of his own free will, with full understanding and
knowledge of its consequences and that he was not coerced, pressured, forced,
intimidated or improperly influenced, or subjected to third degree.
3. Sec. 2, Rule 129, Rule of Court — Judicial admissions
○ Admissions made by the parties in the pleadings, or in the course of the trial or other
proceedings do not require proof and can not be contradicted unless previously
shown to have been made through palpable mistake.

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 About this template
Inadmissibility

Involuntary extra-judicial confession

● obtained through force, threat, intimidation, duress or anything influencing the
voluntary act of the confessor.
● made when a threat or promise was made by, in the presence of a person in
authority, who has, or is supposed by the accused to have power or opportunity
to fulfill the threat or promise.
● made under the influence of spiritual advice or exhortation is not admissible
● made under the influence of parental sentiment is not admissible

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Thank you!

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 University of Cebu
College of Criminal Justice

Legal Medicine

Prepared by: Dr. Golda Mier Auxtero Artiaga

Discussed by: Dr. Lance Tarongoy
MEDICO-LEGAL ASPECTS OF
IDENTIFICATION

2
 AboutCONSIDERATIONS
GENERAL this template

Identification
● is the determination of the individuality
of a person or thing

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION

Importance of Identification of Person:

1. In the prosecution of the criminal offense, the identity of the
offender and that of the victim must be established
2. The identification of a person missing or presumed dead will
facilitate settlement of the estate, retirement, insurance and
other social benefits.
3. Identification resolves the anxiety of the next-of-kin, other
relatives and friends as to the whereabouts of a missing person
or victim of calamity or criminal act.
4. Identification may be needed in some transactions

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IDENTIFICATION OF
PERSONS
IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONS
● ORDINARY METHOD
● SCIENTIFIC METHOD

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IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONS
● ORDINARY METHOD
○ No special training or skill is required of the identifier and no
instrument or procedure is demanded.

● SCIENTIFIC METHOD
○ Made by trained men, well-seasoned by experience and observation,
and primarily based on comparison or exclusion.

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IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONS
● ORDINARY METHOD
● SCIENTIFIC METHOD

8
 OrdinaryAbout this template
Methods of Identification

● Points of Identification Applicable to the Living Person Only

● Points of Identification Applicable to the Living Person and Dead Before

Onset of Decomposition

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Points of Identification Applicable to the Living Person Only
● characteristics that are easily changed
● characteristics that are not easily changed

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Points of Identification Applicable to the Living Person Only
● characteristics that are easily changed
● characteristics that are not easily changed

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 About this template

Characteristics which may easily be changed

1. Growth of hair, beard or mustache
2. Clothing
3. Frequent place of visit
4. Grade of profession
5. Body ornamentations

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Points of Identification Applicable to the Living Person Only
● characteristics that are easily changed
● characteristics that are not easily changed

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 About
Applicable this template
to Living Persons Only

Characteristics which may NOT easily be changed

1. Mental memory — a recollection of time, place and events
2. Speech — how a person talks
3. Gait — characteristic manner of walking
4. Mannerism — stereotype movement or habit peculiar to an individual
5. Hands and feet —size, shape and abnormalities of the hands and feet
6. Complexion — skin color
7. Changes in the eyes — color of the iris, shape of the eyes, use of eye glasses,
cataract

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 About
Applicable this template
to Living Persons Only

8. Facies — facial shape, features, facial expression

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 About
Applicable this template
to Living Persons Only

9. Left or Right-handedness — preferential use of one hand with skill to

the other in voluntary motor acts

10. Degree of Nutrition — in relation to the height and age

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17
Points of Identification Applicable to the Living Person and Dead
Before Onset of Decomposition

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 ApplicableAbout this template
to Living Person and Dead

1. Occupational Mark
a. Painters have stains on the hands and fingernails
b. A dressmaker develops multiple puncture marks on fingertips
c. Baker and miller may have flour dust on their clothings and on their bodies
d. Mason have callosities on the palms of the hands
e. Scars caused by burns produced by scales or sparks or red hot iron may be seen at
the back of the hands of blacksmiths
2. Race
a. Filipino
b. Chinese/ Korean
c. Americans
3. Stature
a. height
b. body structure/ posture

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 ApplicableAbout this template
to Living Person and Dead

4. Tattoo marks — may be in the form of initials, names, images or views.

Importance of Tattoo Mark:

a. It may help in the identification of the person. The image inscribed may reflect the name,
date of birth, language spoken, religion, name of spouse, etc.
b. It may indicate memorable events in his life.
c. It may indicate the social stratum to which the person belongs.
d. membership in a gang or fraternity

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 ApplicableAbout this template
to Living Person and Dead

5. Weight
a. usually not a good point
b. easily changed

6. Deformities
a. congenital or acquired
b. deformities may cause peculiar way of walking, body movement, facial expression,
mannerisms, etc.

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 ApplicableAbout this template
to Living Person and Dead

7. Birthmarks
a. permanent
b. must be described as to shape, location, dimension, color and degree of pigmentation.

8. Injuries leaving permanent results

a. due to accidents or medical illness

9. Moles
a. permanent
b. can be removed by electrolysis, by radium or by carbon dioxide snow

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 ApplicableAbout this template
to Living Person and Dead

10. Scar
a. a remaining mark after healing of the wound

11. Tribal marks

a. marks on the skin by tattooing or branding.
b. branding, metal is pressed on the skin and
during the healing process a scar develops as a
mark/shape
c. tribal marks are placed in the exposed parts of
the body and used to identify person or
membership of a tribe or social group.

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 ApplicableAbout this template
to Living Person and Dead

12. Sexual organ

● male: organ may show previous circumcision.
● female: uterus and breasts may show signs of previous pregnancy

13. Blood examination

● blood type
● diseases
● parasitic infection
● toxic substances

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Anthropometry
 About this template
Anthropometry

Anthropometry
● science of obtaining systematic measurements of the human
body
● height, weight, head and chest circumference

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 About this template
Anthropometry

Bertillon System of Identification

● a technique for describing individuals
● used physical measurements of body parts, especially the head and face, to produce a
detailed description
● Information in the System
○ Descriptive Data
○ Body marks
○ Anthropometric measurements
■ precise measurements of the arms, ears, nose, trunk, head, face, feet and
hands
■ standing height, sitting height
■ distance between fingertips and arms outstretched.

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 About this template
Portrait Parle

● “Speaking Likeness”
● Spoken picture
● a verbal, accurate and description of the person identified
● such information may be given by the witness, relatives, or other persons who
are acquainted with the physical features of the person to be identified

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 About this template
Portrait Parle

The following basic requirements must be included in the verbal description:

1. General impression: type, personality, apparent social status
2. Age and sex
3. Race or color
4. Height
5. Weight
6. Built —thin, slender, medium or stout
7. Posture — erect, slouching, round shoulder
8. Head — size, shape
9. Hair —color, length, baldness

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 About this template
Portrait Parle

10. Face — General impression

a. Forehead — high, low, bulging or receding
b. Eyebrows — brushy or thin, shape
c. Mustache — length, color, shape
d. Ears — size, shape, size of lobe, angle of set
e. Eyes — small, medium or large; color; eyeglasses
f. Cheeks — high, low or prominent medium cheek bones; flat or sunken.
g. Nose — short, medium or big; or long; straight, aquiline or flat or pug.
h. Mouth — wide, small or medium; general impression
i. Lips — shape; thickness; color
j. Teeth — shade, condition, defect; missing elements
k. Chin — size, shape, general impression
l. Jaw — length, shape, lean, heavy or medium

30
 About this template
Portrait Parle

11. Neck — shape, thickness, length; Adam's apple

12. Shoulder — width and shape
13. Wrist — size, shape
14. Hands — length; size; hair; condition of the palm
15. Fingers — length; thickness; stains; shape of nails; condition of the nails.
16. Arms — long, medium or short; muscular; normal or thin; thickness of the wrist.
17. Feet — size, deformities

31
 About
Extrinsic thisin
Factors template
Identification

1. Ornamentations — Rings, bracelet, necklace, hairpin, earrings, lapel pin, etc.

2. Personal belongings — Letters, wallet, driver's license, residence certificate,
personal cards, etc.
3. Wearing apparel — Tailor marks, laundry mark, printed name of owner, size,
style, and texture, footwear, socks.
4. Foreign bodies — Dust in clothings, cerumen in the ears, nail scrapping may
show occupation, place of residence or work, habit, etc.
5. Identification by close friends and relatives.
6. Identification records on file at the police department, immigration bureau,
hospitals, etc.
7. Identification photograph

32
 About
Light as this
Factor intemplate
Identification

1. Clearest moonlight or starlight:

● The best known person cannot be recognized by the clearest moonlight at a
distance greater than 16 to 17 yards and by starlight any further than 10 to 13
yards.
1. Broad daylight:
● A person can hardly recognized another person at a distance farther than one
hundred yards if the person has never been seen before, but persons who are
almost strangers can be recognized at a distance of twenty-five yards.
1. Flash of firearm:
● Letters of two inches high can be read with the aid of the flash of a caliber .22
firearm, at a distance of two feet it is hardly possible for a witness to see the assailant
in case of a hold-up or a murder because:
(1) Usually the assailant is hidden.
(2) The assault is unexpected and the attention of the person or witness is at its minimum.

33
 About
Light as this
Factor intemplate
Identification

4. The flash of lighting produces sufficient light for the identification of an individual provided
that the person's eye is focused towards the individual he wishes to identify during the flash.

5. In case of artificial light, the identity is relative to the kind and intensity of the light

34
IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONS
● ORDINARY METHOD
● SCIENTIFIC METHOD

35
IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONS
● ORDINARY METHOD
● SCIENTIFIC METHOD

36
 About thisMETHOD
SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

37
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Dactylography is the art and study of recording fingerprints as a means of

identification

Dactyloscopy is the art of identification by comparison of fingerlprints. It is the study

and utilization of fingerprints.

Poroscopy is the study of the pores found on the pappillary or friction ridges of the skin
for purposes of identification.

38
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

This is considered to be the most valuable method of identification.

It is universally used because:

1. There are no two identical fingerprints:
● The chances of two fingerprints being the same are calculated to be 1 to
64,000,000,000 which is ten times the number of fingers existing in the world.
1. Fingerprints are not changeable:
● Fingerprints are formed in the fourth month of pregnancy.
● During the latter stage of pregnancy as well as after birth, the pattern enlarges, but no
changes take place in the number and arrangement of the friction ridges.
1. The finger may be wounded or burned, but the whole pattern with all its details will reappear
when the wound heals. If the injury is deep or beyond the layers of the skin and scar develops,
it will not deter identification.

39
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Practical Uses of Fingerprints:

1. Help establish identity in cases of dead bodies and unknown or missing
persons
2. Fingerprints recovered from the crime scene associate person or weapon
3. Fingerprints on file are useful for comparative purposes and for the knowledge
of previous criminal records.
4. Among illiterates, right thumbprint is recognized as a substitute for signature
on legal documents.

40
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Advantages of Using Fingerprinting as a Means of Identification:

1. Not much training is necessary for a person to take, classify and compare
fingerprints
2. No expensive instrument is required in the operation
3. The fingerprint itself is easy to classify
4. Actual prints for comparative purposes are always available and suspected
errors can easily be checked.

41
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Methods of Producing Impressions:

1. Plain method
a. The bulbs of the last phalanges of the fingers and thumb are pressed on the
surface of the paper after pressing them an ink pad or ink plate with printing
ink
b. “thumb mark”

1. Rolled method
a. The bulbs of the thumb and other fingers are rolled on the surface of the
paper after being rolled on an ink pad or ink plate with printing ink.

42
 About
Kinds of this template
Fingerprint Impressions

1. Real impression
○ Impression of the finger bulbs with the use of printing ink on the surface of the
paper.
○ thumb mark

1. Chance impression
○ Fingerprints which are impressed by mere chance without any intention to produce
it.
○ Chance impression maybe:
■ Visible print — visible without any treatment
■ Plastic print — pressing the finger tips on melted paraffin, cellophane,
plastic tape, etc
■ Latent print — prints which are not visible but made visible by the addition
of some substances. Latent prints develop because the fingers are always
covered with colorless residue of oil and perspiration which when pressed on
smooth and non-absorbent material will cause the production of the prints.
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 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

How to Develop Latent Prints:

1. Application of fine powder — depends upon the texture and color of the material where
the suspicious prints are located. The color of the substances to be used must be in contrast
with that material.
Characteristics of a good powder:
● It should be adhesive to the extent that it clings readily to the edges of the
fingerprints
● It should not absorb water
● It should provide good contrast to the place where the latent print is impressed
The following substances are commonly used latent prints visible:
● Graphite for spraying
● Aluminum powder
● Plaster of Paris
● Copper powder for latent prints on leather
● Metallic antimony
44
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

How to Develop Latent Prints:

2. Chemical development by fuming and immersion:

● Fuming - by iodine or arsenic acid
● Immersion in a solution of silver nitrate

45
 About thison
Fingerprinting template
Dead Bodies

● Fresh dead bodies

○ The fingers are unclenched and each one is inked individually
○ The paper where the print will be impressed will be placed in a spoonshaped piece of wood
and slowly and evenly rolled over the pattern
○ If the fist is too tightly clenched, a small incision may be made at the base of the fingers. The
contraction may also be overcome by dipping the hands in hot water.
● Dead bodies recovered from bodies of water (floaters)
○ Washerwoman's skin
○ If not too marked, the fingers may be dried off with a towel
○ glycerin is injected under the skin of the finger tips in order to smoothen the surface
● Bodies wherein the friction ridges have disappeared
○ If the body has been in a body of water for a longer time
○ The friction ridges have disappears,the skin of the fingertips is cut away.
○ This is placed in a small labelled test tubes containing formaldehyde solution.
○ If the papillary ridges are still preserved, this portion is inked
● The same procedure as described may be applied to putrefied or burned bodies according to
circumstances.
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TypesAbout this template
of Fingerprint Pattern

47
 TypesAbout this template
of Fingerprint Pattern

1. Arches — The ridges go from one side of the

pattern to another, never turning back to
make a loop.
○ Plain arches — The ridges on one side of
the impression and flow or tend to flow
out the other side with rise or wave in
the center
○ Tented arch — One or more ridges at
the center to form a definite angle of 90
degrees or less than 45 degrees from
the horizontal plane.

48
 TypesAbout this template
of Fingerprint Pattern

2. Loops — One or more ridges enter on either side,

recurves and terminate or tend to terminate on the same
side from which it entered.
● Ulnar loop — Recurves towards the ulnar side of the
hand or little finger
● Radial loop — Recurves towards the radial side of
the hand or thumb.

49
 TypesAbout this template
of Fingerprint Pattern

3. Whorls — Patterns with two deltas and patterns too

irregular in form to classify:
a. Simple whorls — Consist of two deltas with a
core consisting of circles, ellipses, or spiral turning to the right
or left.
b. Central pocket loop — It is like simple loop but
in the core, one may find one ridge which forms a convex
towards the opening of the loop.
c. Lateral pocket loops — There are at least two
loops opening at the same side.
d. Twin loop — There are at least two loops
opening at the different sides.
e. Accidentals — There are no rules that can be
made in this pattern. They are rare and often with more than
two deltas. 50
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Poroscopy (Locard's Method of Identification):

Poroscopy is the study of the pores found on the pappillary or friction ridges of the skin
for purposes of identification.
● ridges of the hands and fingers
● studded with minute pores which are the openings of ducts or sweat glands
● these pores are permanent as the ridges are and differ in number and shape in a
given area in each person
● Poroscopy is applied when only a part of the fingerprint is available for proper
means of identification

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 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Can fingerprints be effaced?

John Dillinger, a notorious gangster and a police character attempted to erase his
fingerprints by burning them with acid, but as time went by, the ridges were again restored
to its " natural" feature. The acid he applied temporarily destroyed the epidermis of the bulbs
of his fingers.

As long as the dermis of the bulbs of the finger is not completely destroyed, the fingerprints
will always remain unchanged and indestructible.

52
 About this template
FINGERPRINTING

Can fingerprints be forged?

Various experiments were conducted by authorities to replicated fingerprints. No case on record

known or have been written that forgery of fingerprints has been a complete success.

53
 About thisMETHOD
SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

54
 AboutIDENTIFICATION
DENTAL this template

An adult has 32 teeth and each tooth has five surfaces

55
 AboutIDENTIFICATION
DENTAL this template

The role of the teeth in human identification is important for the

following reasons:
1. Remote possibility of two persons to have the same dentition
2. The enamel of the teeth is the hardest substance of the human body. It may
outlast all other tissues during putrefaction or physical destruction.
3. After death, the greater the degree of tissue destruction, the greater is the
importance of dental characteristics as a means of identification.
4. The more recent the ante-mortem records of the person to be identified, the more
reliable is the comparative or exclusionary mode of identification that can be done.

56
 AboutIDENTIFICATION
DENTAL this template

Presidential Decree No. 1575

● promulgated by President Ferdinand Marcos requiring practitioners of dentistry
to keep records of their patients
● obligatory upon all practitioners of dentistry to keep and maintain an accurate
and complete record of the dentition of all their patients
● upon the lapse of ten years from the last entry, dental practitioners shall turn
over the dental records of their patients to the National Bureau of Investigation
for record purposes.

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 LocationAbout this template
for Dental Identification

1. Teeth position
○ Anterior — front 3. Restoration
○ Posterior — back ○ Amalgam (silver filling), gold inlay, gold
2. Surface foil, silicate, acrylic, temporary cement,
○ Occlosal — O — surface which is in crown
contact with the opposing teeth when
jaws are in occlusion (closed) 4. Prosthesis
○ Mesial — M — Surface in direct contact ○ Fixed prosthesis — bridge
with the adjacent tooth towards the ○ Removable prosthesis:
midline ■ Complete denture
○ Distal — D — Surface in direct contact ■ Partial denture
with the adjacent teeth away from the 5. Root canal treatment
midline
○ Buccal — B — Surface facing the lip or
cheek
○ Lingual — L — Inward directed surface of
the teeth

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 AboutIDENTIFICATION
DENTAL this template

Dental Features Which May Be Included in the Description for Identification:

1. Malposition, overlapping, crowding and spacing teeth.
2. Number and location of deciduous or permanent teeth
3. Missing (unerupted or extracted) or supernumerary teeth
4. Peculiar shape, size, direction of growth of individual teeth
5. Missing piece or fragment due to decay or trauma.
6. Restoration, prosthesis (surface, morphology, configuration and material)
7. Root canal therapy on x-ray examination
8. Bone pattern on x-ray examination
9. Complete denture (type, shade and material)
10. Relationship of bite.
11. Oral pathology (tore, gingival hyperplasia, etc.).

59
 About thisMETHOD
SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

60
 About this template
HANDWRITING

A person may be identified through his handwriting, handprinting and hand numbering.

Sec. 23, Rule 132, Rules of Court — Handwriting, how proved

The handwriting of a person may be proved by any witness who believes it to be the
handwriting of such person, and has seen the person write, or has seen writing purporting
to be his upon which the witness has acted or been charged, and has thus acquired
knowledge of the handwriting of such person. Evidence respecting the handwriting may
also be given by a comparison, made by the witness or the court, with writings admitted or
treated as genuine by the party against whom the evidence is offered, or proved to be
genuine to the satisfaction of the judge.

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 About this template
HANDWRITING

The genuineness of any disputed writing may be proven by the following ways:

1. Acknowledgement of the alleged writer that he wrote it

2. Statement of witness who saw the writing made and is able to identify it as such
3. By the opinion of persons who are familiar with the handwriting of the alleged writer
4. By the opinion of an expert who compares the questioned writing with that of other
writings which are admitted or treated to be genuine by the party against whom the
evidence is offered.

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 About this template
HANDWRITING

Some Practical Uses of Handwriting Examination:

1. Financial crimes (bogus checks, credit card fraud, embezzlement).
2. Death investigation (suicide notes, hotel registration cards, letter af explanation)
3. Robberies (pawnshop notes, cashing of stolen checks)
4. Kidnapping with ransom (demand note, threatening letter)
5. Anonymous threatening letters
6. Falsification of documents (deeds of conveyance, receipts)

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 About this template
HANDWRITING

Bibliotics is the science of handwriting analysis. It is the study of documents and writing
materials to determine its genuineness or authorship.

Bibliotist (aka Handwriting Expert or Questioned Document Examiner) is a

person who had acquired special knowledge of the science of handwriting for purposes of
identification

Graphology is the study of handwriting for the purpose of determining the writer's
personality, character and aptitude.

64
 About this template
HANDWRITING

Handwriting is a complex interaction of nerves, memory and muscular

movement. It is influenced by several factors and may be changed or modified
during the lifespan of a person.

65
 About this template
Movements in Writing

1. Finger movement — The letters are made entirely by the action of the
thumb, the pointing and middle fingers
2. Hand movement — The letters are produced by the action of the hand as
a whole with the wrist as the center of action and with some action of the
fingers
3. Arm movement — The movement in writing is made by the hand and arm
supported with the elbow at the center of the lateral swing.
4. Whole arm movement — The action is produced by the entire arm
without any rest. The source of motion comes from the shoulder. Writing
on a blackboard is a good example of whole arm movement.

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 About this
Characteristics oftemplate
Handwriting

Primary Factors
1. A person begins to write
2. Inclusion of some characteristics due to admiration of a peculiar design in writing
3. Identifying characteristics may be the result of the great volume of writing done
4. The presence or absence of physical abnormalities or defects originating from
illness, injury, psychological variations and other similar conditions.

67
 About this
Characteristics oftemplate
Handwriting

Secondary Factors
1. The position of the writer, e.g. sitting, standing, lying, arm high or low
2. Temporary physical or psychological disturbances, such as excitement, fear, pain, exhaustion, injury to
the hand or arm, etc.
3. Other external temporary variables, such as writing without glasses, bad lighting, irregular surface,
external interference
4. Physical and chemical factors
○ Writing instrument
■ Ballpen — lines are rounded, showing no tip separation even when pressed heavily
■ Fountain pen — lines are more or less round, when pressure is increased there is separation
of the nib which is easily detected. There is evenness in the flow of ink.
■ Steel pen — There is unevenness in the flow of ink and leaves a scratchy appearance.
■ Pencil — low quality pencils have gritty impurities which scratch the paper, while high-grade
pencils are free from such grit.

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 About this
Characteristics oftemplate
Handwriting

4. Physical and chemical factors

○ Paper
■ Color — Color can be well appreciated with a good light.
■ Surface appearance — smooth or rough, damaged or wrinkled
■ Watermarks
■ Weight and thickness — The thickness may be measured by means of the paper
micrometer
○ Ink
■ Iron gallotannate ink — Commonly used in " blue-black" ink and still the basis of the
greatest number of commercial ink.
■ “Washable" inks
■ Logwood ink — made of logwood extract with salts of iron, copper, or chromium.
■ Carbon ink — a fine suspension in water of carbon with stabilizing agent.
■ Ballpoint ink — a thick suspension of dye in a liquid which is usually a drying oil

69
 About this template
HANDWRITING

Purpose of Handwriting Examination:

1. Whether the document was written by the suspect.
2. Whether the document was written by the person whose signature it bears.
3. Whether the writing contains additions or deletions.
4. Whether the document such as bills, receipts, suicide notes or checks are genuine or a
forgery.

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 About
Questioned this template
Document Examination

Instruments in Questioned Document Examination:

1. Photographic instruments are primarily used to view the writing in sufficient
magnification for detail examination and preparation of evidence for presentation in an
investigative or judicial body.
2. Magnifying lens and stereoscopic binocular microscope — useful to determine
line quality, quaver, uncertainty, patching, over-writing, crowding, and other unusual
appearances of writing. Presence of obvious obliteration, erasure or alteration may become
more visible.
3. Ultraviolet lamp and infrared radiation — Chemical erasures may be made visible,
invisible ink, writing may be made legible, identification of paper and resealing of the
envelopes with different mucilage can be seen through these instruments,
4. Measuring caliper
5. Good lighting facilities

71
 About
Questioned this template
Document Examination

The standard (exemplar) writings with which the questioned writing has to be compared are of
two types:
1. Collected (procured) standards
○ consist of handwriting by the person who is suspected to have written the questioned
document. It may be found in the private or public records of the person or from other
possible sources.
○ Provided it is clear and sufficient, it is the most appropriate standard.
2. Requested standard
○ These are standards made by the alleged writer of the document in question upon
request of the examiner or the persons interested in the examination.
○ considering that it is a request from a suspected maker of the questioned document,
there is a strong possibility for it to be written in a disguised way.

72
 About
Questioned this template
Document Examination

Minimize Conscious Efforts to Disguise the Requested Standard:

1. The writer should be allowed to write sitting comfortably at a desk or table and without
distraction
2. The suspect should not, under any condition, be shown the questioned document or be
provided with instructions on how to spell certain words or what punctuation to use.
3. The suspect should be furnished with a pen and a paper similar to those used in the
questioned document.
4. The dictated text may be the same as the contents of the questioned document, or at
least should contain many of the same words, phrases, and letter combinations found in
the document

73
 Questioned Document Examination
About this template

Minimize Conscious Efforts to Disguise the Requested Standard

5. Dictation of the test should take place at least three times. If the writer is
making a deliberate effort to disguise his writing, noticeable variations should appear
between the three repetitions. Discovering this, the investigator must insist upon
continued repetitive dictation of the text
6. Signature exemplars can best be obtained when the suspect is required to
combine other writings with a signature.
7. Before requested exemplars are taken from the suspect, a document examiner
should be consulted and shown the questioned specimens

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 About this template
Disguised Writing

Disguised writing is the deliberate attempt on the part of the writer to alter his writing
habit by endeavoring to invent a new writing style or by imitating the writing of
another person.

Characteristics of Disguised Writing:

● Inconsistent slant
● Inconsistent letter formation
● Change of capital letters
● Lack of free-flowing movement
● Lack of rhythm
● Unnatural starts and stops
● Irregular spacing
● Writing with unaccustomed hand

75
 About this template
Disguised Writing

Physical Methods of Disguising Handwriting:

1. By changing the direction of the slant
2. By increasing or decreasing the speed in writing
3. By deliberate carelessness that will produce inferior style of writing
4. By making the letters unusually large or small
5. The forger may use the left hand instead of the right hand
6. Hand printing may be substituted for script

76
 AboutForgery
this template

Forgery
● creating a false document, altering a document, or writing a false signature for the
illegal benefit of the person making the forgery.

Signature forgery
● signature may be found on a document which appears that a person has participated
in its execution and the person denied that he had signed it
● signature forgery examination is the most common activity of a questioned
document examiner.

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 About this template
Classification of Forgery

1. Traced forgery
○ outlining of a genuine signature from one document onto another
○ basically drawing and consequently lacks free natural movement inherent in
a person's normal writing
2. Simulated forgery
○ an attempt to copy in a freehand manner
○ either from memory of the signature or from a model
○ quality varies with the writer's skill as a penman
○ writer recognizes and incorporates the details, concentrates on the
important feature of the signature
3. Spurious forgery
○ done with the forger's own handwriting
○ little or no attempt has been made to copy the characteristics of the genuine
writing

78
 About thisMETHOD
SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

79
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

In the examination of bones, the following points can be determined approximately:

1. Whether the remains are of human origin or not.
2. Whether the remains belong to a single person or not.
3. Height
4. Sex
5. Race
6. Age
7. Length of interment or length of time from date of death
8. Presence or absence of ante-mortem or post-mortem bone injuries
9. Congenital deformities and acquired injuries on the hard tissues causing permanent
deformities.

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

How to Determine Whether the Remains Are of Human Origin or Not

● The shape, size and general nature of the remains, especially that of the head, must be
studied.
● The oval or round shape of the skull and the less prominent lower jaw and
nasal bone are suggestive of human remains.
● A complete lay-out of the whole bones found and placing each of them on their
corresponding places in the human body will be helpful.
● The presence of dental fixtures, rings on the fingers, earrings in the case of
women, hair and other wearing apparels, together with the remains are strong
presumption of human remains.

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

How to Determine Whether the Remains Comes from a Single Individual or Not
● complete lay-out of the bones on a table in their exact locations in the human body is
necessary
● any plurality or excess of the bones after a complete lay-out denotes that the remains
belong to more than one person
● congenital deformities as supernumerary fingers and toes must not be forgotten.

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Height
Approximation of the height of a person by measuring the long bones of the
body

● Actual measurement of the skeleton

○ To the actual length of the skeleton add 1 to 1-1/2 in for the soft
tissue
● Pearson's Formula
○ for the reconstruction of the living stature of long bones

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Determination of the Sex of the Skeleton

The following bones must be studied:

A. Pelvis
B. Skull
C. Sternum
D. Femur
E. Humerus

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Pelvis

85
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Skull

86
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Sternum

87
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Femur

88
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Humerus

89
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Race

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 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

The age of the person to whom the skeleton belongs may be determined by:
1. Appearance of ossification center
2. Union of Bones and Epiphyses
3. Dental Identification
4. Obliteration of cranial sutures

91
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Determination of the Duration of Interment

Based on:
1. Presence or absence of soft tissues still adherent to the bones.
2. Firmness and weight, brittleness, dryness of the bones
3. The degree of erosion of the surface of the bones.
4. The changes in the clothings, coffin, and painting

92
 About this template
IDENTIFICATION OF SKELETON

Determination of the Presence or Absence of Ante-Mortem or

Postmortem Injuries:
● Individual bones must be examined in detail for possible fractures.
● Importance must be laid on whether these injuries in the bones occurred
during life or in the process of exhumation.
● Note the presence of vital reaction, principally the signs of repairs

93
 About thisMETHOD
SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

94
 About this template
DETERMINATION OF SEX

Tests to Determine Sex

1. Social test
○ Dress, hairstyle, general bodily shape
2. Genital test
○ Penis: male
○ Vagina: female
3. Gonadal test
○ Testes: male
○ Ovary: female
4. Chromosomal test
○ XY: male
○ XX: female

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 About this template
Evidences of Sex

1. Presumptive Evidences
● General features and contour of the face
● Presence or absence of hair in some parts of the body
● Length of the scalp hair. Generally, the female has long hair in the
scalp than that of the male.
● Clothes and other wearing apparel
● Figure — Females have prominent pelvis, while those of the males
are slender
● Voice and manner of speech

96
About this template
Evidences of Sex

97
 About this template
Evidences of Sex

2. Highly Probable Evidences

● female: vagina, uterus and accessories in female
● male: penis
● female: developed and large breasts
● make: muscular development

3. Conclusive evidence:
● female: ovary
● male: testis

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DETERMINATION OF SEX

Evidence of Sex in Mutilated or Decomposed Body:

1. General physical and muscular development
2. Hairiness of the scalp, face, chest, pubes and other parts of the body
3. Prominence of the Adam's apple.
4. Amount of subcutaneous fat in specific parts of the body
5. Presence of linea albicantes, enlarged nipple, cutex in fingernails and
lipstick or coloring materials.
6. Presence of prostate gland in male or uterus and ovary in female. If in
doubt, a microscopic examination must be made on the suspicious ovarian
or testicular tissue.

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SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

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DETERMINATION OF AGE

Age as an aid to identification

● Mention of the age of the wanted or missing person will create
an impression of the physical characteristics, social life and
psychic and mental behavior of that person.
● Although it may only be presumptive, it may be useful in
identification

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DETERMINATION OF AGE

1. Age of a fetus/infant/child
2. Growth of pubic hair, beard and mustache
○ pubic hair begins to appear at the age of 13 in female and 14 in male.
○ growth of thick dark hair is well marked on the pubes, scrotum and in the
axillae at about 16 to 17 years of age.
○ mustache and beard begin to appear in male at the age of 16 to 18.
3. Changes of the breast in female
○ development of the breast in female at the age of 13 to 14
4. Development of the voice
○ males develop low tone voice between the age of 16 to 18
○ females change their voice on the same period.
○ males become low pitch while females become high pitch

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DETERMINATION OF AGE

5. Changes in color of the hair

○ black color of the hair becomes gray after forty
○ silverywhite color may be seen in advanced old age.
○ pubic hair may turn gray at the age of 50
1. Grade or year in school or college
○ children enter the primary school at the age of 7
○ finish high school at the age of 17
○ graduation in a college course depends on the number of years required for
the course.
2. Menstruation in women
○ menstruation commence at the age of 12
3. Degree of mental development.
4. Manner of dressing, self-beautification and social life.
5. Atheromatous changes of blood vessels, and cornea (arcus senilis)
6. Wrinkle opacity of the lens of the skin usually appears after forty
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SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

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IDENTIFICATION this template
OF BLOOD AND BLOOD STAINS

Legal Importance of the Study of Blood

1. For disputed parentage (maternity and paternity)
○ Disputed paternity
■ When the wife committed adultery and the husband denied to be the father
of the child.
■ In a claim for support or right of succession of the alleged illegitimate child
○ Disputed maternity may arise:
■ In case of allegation of interchange of children in a hospital or nursery home,
either accidentally or deliberately .
■ In cases of wayward or stray children being claimed by two or more women.
■ For ownership of dead fetus or newly born child found in street trash
2. Circumstantial or corroborative evidence against or in favor of the perpetrator of a crime

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OF BLOOD AND BLOOD STAINS

3. Determination of the cause of death

● hemorrhage as the cause of deaths
4. Determination of the direction of escape of the victim or the assailant:
● shape of the blood or blood stains will give the investigator an idea on the
direction of the source of blood
● small drops with tapering end of the blood spot towards the direction of the
moving source of blood
5. Determination of the approximate time the crime was committed
● Although there are variations as to the color and soluble changes as to regards
the age of the stain, we can only say that when there is too much change, it is
not very recent.
6. Determination of the place of commission of the crime
7. Determination of the presence of certain diseases
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IDENTIFICATION this template
OF BLOOD AND BLOOD STAINS

PRELIMINARY OR GROSS EXAMINATION OF THE STAIN

1. Determine the material, make, color of the article stained.
2. Note which surface has been stained and the color of stain
○ Recent blood stains are dark-red
3. Study the direction of the origin of the blood stain
○ The spot of blood is usually tapering towards the direction of the
source
○ A fall will give a splash appearance.
4. For small and discolored stains, the use of a lens or ultra-violet light may be
useful.
5. Determine the amount by the degree of soaking, size and intensity of color.

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IDENTIFICATION this template
OF BLOOD AND BLOOD STAINS

Tests to Determine the Presence of Blood

1. PHYSICAL TESTS
2. CHEMICAL TESTS
3. MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATIONS
4. SPECTROSCOPIC EXAMINATION
5. BIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS

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SCIENTIFIC template

Aspects of Identification Requiring Scientific Knowledge:

1. Fingerprinting
2. Dental Identification
3. Handwriting
4. Identification of Skeleton
5. Determination of Sex
6. Determination of Age
7. Identification of Blood and Blood Stains
8. Identification of Hair and Fibers

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Characteristics of the Different Kinds of Fibers

● Cotton Fibers
○ Flattened, twisted fibers with thickened edges
○ Irregularly granulated cuticle. No transverse markings. Fibers
show spiral twist.
● Flax Fibers
○ Apex tapering to fine point.
○ Transverse sections are polygonal and show a small cavity.
● Hemp Fibers
○ show transverse lines and consist of cellulose.
○ large oval cavities are seen in transverse sections.
○ The end is usually blunt, and there is often a tuft of hair at the
knots.

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Characteristics of the Different Kinds of Fibers

● Abaca Fibers
○ smooth without transverse or longitudinal markings.
○ cavities are large and uniform. The walls are lignified. The
tips are fine points.
● Jute Fibers
○ fibers are smooth without either longitudinal or transverse
markings.
○ typical large cavities which are not uniform but vary with the
degree of contraction of the walls of the fibers which are
lignified
○ ends are blunt.
● Wool Fibers
○ fibers show an outer layer of flattened cells and imbricated
margins.
○ interiors are composed of fibrous tissues but sometimes the
medulla is present.

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Characteristics of the Different Kinds of Fibers

● Silk Fibers
○ manufactured silk is almost structureless,
microscopically
● Linen Fibers
○ fibers are straight and tapering to a point
○ cortical area shows transverse lines which
frequently intersects, simulating a jointed
appearance
○ medullary region shows a thin dense line

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Parts of the Hair

● Cuticle — The outer layer of the hair.
● Cortex or middle layer — Consists of
longitudinal fibers bearing the pigment.
● Medulla or core — Contains air bubbles and
some pigments.

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Differences Between Hair Forcibly Extracted and Naturally Shed Hair:

● If a hair-root has been extracted forcibly, the bulb is irregular in form due to rupture
of the sheath and shows an undulating surface, together with excrescences of
different shapes and sizes.
● A naturally shed bulb has a rounded extremity, a smooth surface

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Points in the Identification of Hair

1. Characteristics of the hair
○ Hair on body surfaces is fine while those from the beard, mustache and scalp
are very thick.
○ Hair from the eyebrows and lashes is tapering gradually to fine points.
2. Length of the hair
○ Hair from the scalp grows 2.5 cms. a month.
○ Beard hair grows at the rate of 0.4 millimeter a day.
3. Color of the hair
○ The color of the hair may be black, blonde or brunette.
○ Hair from older persons may be white or gray.
○ The hair may be artificially colored

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

How to detect presence of coloring or bleaching material in hair

● Examination of hair may show pigments at nodes
● The new portion of the hair recently grown has a different color from the treated
part
● The hair in other parts of the body may not correspond in color
● The scalp may be dyed
● The texture of the hair may be altered
4. Does the Hair Belong to a Male or a Female?
● In many instances it is quite impossible to state the sex from the hair, but certain
points may be worthy of mention
● Hair on the scalp of male are shorter, thicker and more wiry than that of female's.
● Eyebrow hair of a male is generally long and more wiry than that of a female's

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IDENTIFICATION OF template
HAIR AND FIBERS

Estimations of Age Based on the Hair

● This is quite difficult
● Hair of children are fine, short, deficient of pigments and, as a rule, devoid of
medulla.
● At the adolescent age, hair may appear at the pubis.
● Hair on the scalp becomes long, wiry, and thick.
● In the case of older persons, the color is usually white or gray, with marked
absorption of pigments and degenerative changes.

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Thank you!

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