109. After assessing the pattern of scattering and recording the scene, the next task is to collect the remains. Scattered skeletal elements need to be packaged in paper bags and labelled, sealed and signed according to evidence-packaging procedures. 6. movement of soil or differences in plant growth that might indicate the presence of a burial. Where they are available, non-intrusive technologies – such as satellite/aerial image analysis or hyperspectral image analysis, and geophysical survey equipment such as ground-penetrating radar – may also be useful for indicating areas where soil has been disturbed, consistent with the burial of human remains. Where appropriate, intrusive archaeological excavation methods, such as metal probes or trenches, should be used with care, by qualified persons, to determine if human remains are present and to expose the physical size and detailed contents of a grave. Buried bodies/skeletal remains 110. A grave may contain the remains of one person buried alone or of two or more persons buried either simultaneously or at different times. 111. A primary grave is the one in which the deceased is first placed. If the remains are then removed and are reburied, the place of reburial is considered to be a secondary grave. An undisturbed burial is unchanged since the time of primary burial. A disturbed burial is one that has been altered after the time of primary burial, either by human intervention, or animal scavenging, or by other natural processes. All secondary burials should be regarded as having been disturbed. Archaeological methods may be used to detect a disturbance in a primary burial. 112. Where human remains are buried, associated soil disturbances can be identified through surveys by experienced archaeologists. Such experts can identify modifications in the landscape, vegetation, 7. Considerations in the recovery of buried remains 113. Buried human remains can be encountered in various stages of decomposition, from complete bodies with soft tissues present to fully skeletonized remains. The packaging method used will depend on whether disinterred remains are complete bodies with soft tissue present (body bag) or fully skeletonized (paper bags). 114. Buried remains are found in individual graves or mass graves. In all instances, archaeological methods should be used in the excavation of any graves, as set out in the relevant Detailed Guidelines. E. Identification of Dead Bodies 1. General principles 115. Human identification is the allocation of the correct name/identity to human remains. In any death investigation, the identification of the body or bodies is a major priority. It also meets humanitarian, human rights, and other social and cultural needs. Good-quality ante-mortem and post-mortem data, properly compared, are required for a valid identification. 2. Visual recognition 116. The viewing of the dead body and its recognition by family or friends is a form of ante-mortem and post-mortem comparison. It is undertaken universally, and is often reliable. However, recognition following the viewing of a dead body by a relative or friend can be mistaken: either falsely positive or falsely negative. Virtually all mortuaries have experience of such mistakes. Factors contributing to this possibility include facial congestion or lividity; lung oedema or stomach fluids issuing from mouth and/or nose; the presence of facial fractures, other injuries, or bleeding; or changes associated with decomposition. Family members may be anxious or distressed to the point where they may not even look at the body or face of the deceased. A family member may rely on something other than the facial appearance of the deceased for recognition: for example, the appearance of the clothing or an item of jewellery such as a ring on a finger. These can be unreliable. Interpol does not accept visual recognition as a form of positive identification. 117. If the dead body is to be viewed for the purposes of recognition to help in its formal identification, this should be undertaken in controlled circumstances. Whenever possible, the viewing should be conducted in a designated area that respects the viewer’s privacy and emotional state and minimizes distractions. The process should be supervised and witnessed by a forensic doctor, a trained mortuary technician, a grief counsellor (social worker), or other trained professional. Children should not be involved in visual recognition for identification purposes. 118. The dead body should be professionally assessed as being capable of being recognized by visual inspection. The person being asked to make the visual identification should always be informed of the condition of the remains and asked if they wish to proceed. The body should not be in an advanced state of decomposition; there should be no significant injury affecting the central facial features and, preferably, the face should be clean. (This last requirement may not be compatible with investigative priorities – e.g. the examination, photography.) 21