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Forensic
Services Offered by Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute
Mercyhurst
College, Erie, Pennsylvania
The Department of Anthropology at Mercyhurst College in Erie,
Pennsylvania, offers specialized services in the field of Forensic
Anthropology that are of utility to law enforcement, medicolegal
and jurisprudence agencies throughout the United States. The
Forensic Anthropology Division is under the immediate supervision
of Dennis C. Dirkmaat, Ph.D. and offers two primary services:
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The application of archaeological data recovery
techniques to searches for, and excavation of, unlocated crime
scenes and buried remains as well as interpretation of crime
scene context.
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The identification, analysis, and preservation
of human skeletal remains.
SEARCH FOR UNLOCATED CRIME SCENES
- Organization of the search
- Training of volunteers
- Systematic and comprehensive search techniques
- Identification of all bones recovered
(human and animal)
RECOVERY
- Employment of state-of-the-art archaeological methods
- Maximum data recovery (including in
situ point-plotting of all evidence)
- Accurate court room quality documentation
of all physical evidence
- Reconstruction of burial sequence
- Production of site map (plan view and
stratigraphic profiles)
FORENSIC GEOLOGY
- Collection and analysis of sedimentological
and soil samples
FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
- Proper collection of all entomological
specimens in all cases involving partially skeletonized human
remains
ESTABLISHMENT OF IDENTITY
- Identification of all bones and fragments
recovered
- Determination of age, sex, stature,
and ancestry
- Identification of pathological conditions,
including bone infections, periodontal disease, etc.
- Forensic odontological analysis
EVIDENCE RELATING TO CAUSE & MANNER OF DEATH, POST
MORTEM INTERVAL
- Identification of perimortem vs. antemortem
trauma (projectile impacts, stabbing weapon defects, blunt
force damage, etc.)
- Taphonomic analysis: postmortem modifications
of bone (including carnivore / rodent gnawing, burning and
weathering)
Requests for services and information please
contact:
Dennis C. Dirkmaat, Ph.D., D.A.B.F.A. (50)
Director, Applied Forensic Sciences Department
Mercyhurst College
Glenwood Hills
Erie, Pennsylvania, 16546
Telephone (814) 824-2105
Facsimile (814) 824-3627
Cell Phone (814) 397-3771
Email: dirkmaat@mercyhurst.edu
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