Prevalence and forensic significance of tattoos in unidentified decedents in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Tattoos are an important potential identifier in unidentified decedent identification at medico-legal postmortem facilities, especially when primary methods of identification (such as DNA, dentition, and fingerprints) are lacking. This study aimed to describe and assess the prevalence of tattoos in unidentified decedents processed by the Human Decedent Identification Unit (HDIU) at the Johannesburg Forensic Pathology Services (JFPS) Medico-legal Laboratory, between 2017 and 2021. Tattoos were prevalent in 20% (n = 126) of the unidentified population (N = 634). The prevalent demographic profile of tattooed unidentified decedents was Black (94%) males (98%), with more than half (55%) having more than one tattoo present. Most tattoos were located in the arms (69%), made of black ink (94%) and amateur in nature (96%). The most common categories were letters (18%, n = 59), prison/gang related insignia (15%, n = 48), and popular symbols (13%, n = 44). Through the improved visualisation techniques, documentation, and classification of tattoos, more information can be made available to assist in the identification of unidentified decedents. There is a need for a better understanding and annotative frameworks with regards to tattoos that are relevant to the South African and African context.