The Application of Anthropometric Indices in Forensic Photography: Three Case Studies

Abstract

With increasing commercial use of video surveillance to deter crime, physical anthropologists are becoming more involved in the forensic identification of persons based on photographic evidence. Three contrasting case studies from southern Florida are presented that illustrate the utilization of conventional anthropometry in determining the identity of suspects. In each case an arrested suspect and a subject videotaped during the commission of a crime are compared with respect to a series of discrete craniofacial and post-cranial proportions. Each case analysis is supplemented by additional data on earlobe structure, head and facial hair patterns, degree of chin eminence, presence or absence of tattoos, and various aspects of bodily dimensions and physique including height and weight estimations.