Biological Profile and Personal Identification

Personal identification is an essential medico-legal process. Osteology and bone pathology can provide general and specific information on the skeleton of the deceased useful for implementing the biological profile and for personal identification. Morphological traits, including anatomical, pathological, and therapeutic features, are considered secondary means of identification; yet, the superimposition and concordance of morphological bone features between antemortem and postmortem images possess the same evidentiary value as primary identifiers (such as fingerprints) for personal identification. In this chapter, we illustrate through a series of forensic cases the potential of bone anatomical and pathological traits for general and personal identification.