A casework study: The effect of the porcine digestive process on animal carcasses and human teeth.

What happens if a human body is fed to pigs? Although a popular notion in the entertainment industry, no scientific published literature exists that documents this porcine feeding behaviour, nor, more importantly, what elements of the cadaver may survive such a process. A study conducted in 2020, born out of a casework enquiry, aimed to investigate the following two questions; Would pigs feed on a human body? And, if so, what could be recovered post feeding event? Kangaroo carcasses, porcine carcasses (as human analogues) and 90 human teeth were prepared, and fed, to two domestic pigs, in a variety of feed scenarios. Biological traces including bones, bone fragments, teeth and tooth fragments were recovered both post-digestion from the faeces of the pigs, as well as uneaten from the porcine enclosure. 29% of all human teeth were recovered from the study; 35% of which were recovered post-digestion from the faeces and 65% were recovered uneaten from the porcine enclosure, Of the recovered human teeth, 81% were deemed suitable for identification by a forensic odontologist. From the 447 bones recovered from the enclosure, 94% could be identified to a bone type and species. From all 3338 bone fragments recovered from the faeces of the pigs, none retained any morphological traits that would allow further intelligence to be generated. Overall, it was found that pigs will feed on human analogues and will consume soft tissue, bones, and human teeth. Biological traces in the form of bones, bone fragments, teeth and tooth fragments may be recovered both post-digestion from the faeces, or from the porcine enclosure. The biological traces can be used for identification of an individual via forensic odontology, identification of a species via forensic anthropology and may be suitable for DNA analysis. The outcomes of this study generated new avenues for investigation in the case and may be used to inform future operational resources.

From Identification to Intelligence: An Assessment of the Suitability of Forensic DNA Phenotyping Service Providers for Use in Australian Law Enforcement Casework.

Forensic DNA Phenotyping (FDP) is an established but evolving field of DNA testing. It provides intelligence regarding the appearance (externally visible characteristics), biogeographical ancestry and age of an unknown donor and, although not necessarily a requirement for its casework application, has been previously used as a method of last resort in New South Wales (NSW) Police Force investigations. FDP can further assist law enforcement agencies by re-prioritising an existing pool of suspects or generating a new pool of suspects. In recent years, this capability has become ubiquitous with a wide range of service providers offering their expertise to law enforcement and the public. With the increase in the number of providers offering FDP and its potential to direct and target law enforcement resources, a thorough assessment of the applicability of these services was undertaken. Six service providers of FDP were assessed for suitability for NSW Police Force casework based on prediction accuracy, clarity of reporting, limitations of testing, cost and turnaround times. From these assessment criteria, a service provider for the prediction of biogeographical ancestry, hair and eye colour was deemed suitable for use in NSW Police Force casework. Importantly, the study highlighted the need for standardisation of terminology and reporting in this evolving field, and the requirement for interpretation by biologists with specialist expertise to translate the scientific data to intelligence for police investigators.