In forensic death investigations and archaeological excavations, commingled and displaced human remains present significant challenges for the successful recovery and identification of the deceased. Commingling occurs when bones from multiple individuals are mixed, as in mass graves or shared burial plots. Burials may also be moved or disturbed, resulting in the loss of information about their original location and provenance. Such contexts are frequently encountered in postwar investigations and disaster victim identification. Non-destructive analytical approaches can facilitate the reassociation of bones from the same individual and the separation of distinct individuals, preserving skeletal integrity while providing critical information. Promising non-destructive techniques include Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF). These approaches can detect subtle differences in bone chemistry and microstructure without altering the tissue. When combined with chemometric analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), these methods could enable reassociation of commingled remains and characterisation of burial origin. This project will apply non-destructive methods, including handheld Raman spectroscopy, SEM-EDX, and NIR, combined with chemometrics, to a unique skeletal and burial soil sample from a British urban post-medieval cemetery dating. The cemetery has been deconsecrated for redevelopment, necessitating the excavation of human remains and permitting osteological recording and non-destructive study, prior to their scheduled reburial. A large number of skeletons in this cemetery were interred in deep, multiple burials in proximity, closely mimicking the challenges encountered in mass graves, and making this cemetery sample ideal for the development and validation of methods to resolve commingling.
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