286. Stature: The stature of a skeleton is usually estimated following one of two methods: (a) Measuring the height/length of some specific bones (skull, spine, femur, tibia and talus), adding those measurements and correcting for the missing soft tissue, or (b) Measuring one complete long bone (such as the femur, tibia or humerus) or the combination of two such bones (femur and tibia ideally), and applying a regression formula to the result (c) Regression formulae are also available for fragmented bones. In all cases, information on sex and ancestry are required in order to select the correct reference table to use. 5. Remaining analysis and report 287. After a biological profile has been established, the analysis continues with the following steps: (a) Analysis of any indicator of ante-mortem trauma, pathological conditions or skeletal variations (which may or may not be symptomatic) that can provide information about the cause and circumstances of the death or specific information leading to identification (b) Analysis of possible post-mortem changes in the bones, due to taphonomic processes (see Paragraph 289) that could affect the body after death. It is critical to distinguish these changes from the injuries relating to peri-mortem trauma (c) Dental analysis, to contribute to age estimation and possibly even identification. (This should be undertaken by a forensic odontologist if possible.) 288. Establishing the period of time since death is difficult, especially in cases of skeletal remains. In the case of historical or prehistoric remains, several methods of dating have been developed. For cases of forensic interest, covering periods from a few days to up to 30 or 40 years, there is no scientific method, relying on an analysis of bones or teeth, to establish whether a person died one, five, or ten years ago. However, new studies of radiocarbon are being applied in some specific contexts. Circumstantial information and other material with the skeletal remains, or in some instances even satellite imagery, may help to establish when the events (or burial) took place. 289. Forensic taphonomy is a field that studies the various changes to the human body after death. On some occasions this may enable post-mortem changes observed in the skeleton to be understood (e.g. action of scavengers, plant activity), but it will generally not provide any degree of certainty about the time since death. In that sense, archaeological dating methods, using objects associated with the remains, such as coins or cartridge case, may provide a better general estimation. 290. Methods used in the analysis of skeletal remains must meet standards accepted by the scientific community. In the event that indicators and databases relying on local data collection are used, they must be endorsed by publication in reputable peer-reviewed publications. 291. All analysis must be properly documented, with photos, drawings, notes and specific forms. A precise record of the samples taken from the remains must be kept, the samples must be correctly labelled and records of security and the chain of custody kept. If the remains are to be buried before formal identification, the process must be properly documented. This includes recording the exact location of the disposal of the remains, proper labelling of the container holding the remains, and appropriate notation on the chain-of-custody form. 292. The final forensic anthropology report must include all information relating to the reception of the remains; procedures followed for the analysis; samples taken and to whom they were given; and the conclusions and any recommendations. (In some circumstances it may be necessary or desirable to include forms and diagrams). This report must be integrated with those produced by other specialists in order to present to the authority an integrated forensic report. 51