METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING BODY OF PERSON PERISHED BY SUDDEN DEATH Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: legal medicine; forensic medical and criminalistic examinations. SUBSTANCE: method resides in that body of person struck by some unexpected death is subjected to identification by plotting dermatoglyphs of fingers and toes of dead person and of those belonging to potentially eligible circle of his (her) blood-related kinsfolk. Judgement on dead person's identity is passed on basis of greatest number of coinciding inherited dermatoglyphic elements. Proposed method is sufficiently reliable, since it is based upon examination of genetically conditioned dermatoglyphic elements. Method is applicable for simultaneous identification of large numbers of dead caused by natural disasters and catastrophes (such as, e.g. aircraft crushes or explosions among mass gatherings of people, etc), in presence of large number of families looking for their dead relatives. Method offers maximally high degree of reliability of identification permitting to avoid false burials. As distinct from other existing methods, present method is effective for identifying considerably destroyed or altered beyond recognition dead bodies. In some instances, suffice it to preserve single finger or toe from entire dead body to render its identification possible. EFFECT: 1) extremely effective method for mass-scale identification of unidentified corpses perished under emergency circumstances; 2) method is applicable for examination of outstanding individual cases in legal-medical practice.