Age assessment of child skeletal remains in forensic contexts

Abstract

Of all the techniques used to identify children's skeletal remains, age assessment is the most reliable a forensic anthropologist can provide. In forensic contexts, assigning an age to a living child of unknown identity may be necessary when the child is the victim of a crime, suspected of a crime, when penal codes differentiate law and punishment for children of different ages, or if the child is a refugee of uncertain age. This chapter outlines the methods and caveats of skeletal and dental age estimations in nonadult skeletal remains, with published case studies and experiences from investigations after the Guatemalan armed conflict. © 2006 Humana Press Inc.