Expanding the Role of Forensic Anthropology in a Humanitarian Crisis: An Example from the USA-Mexico Border

The macromorphoscopic databank

“…Another important contribution to the modern American database is the sample of Southwest Hispanic individuals identified by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (PCOME). Currently the MaMD contains data for 34 identified individuals from the PCOME, a number expected to grow exponentially as that office improves identification strategies for unidentified border crossers (Anderson, ; Anderson & Parks, ; Baker, ; Bartelink, ; Beatrice and Soler, ; Crider, ; Figueroa‐Soto & Spradley, 2013; Fowler and Hughes, ; Fulginiti, ; Galloway, Birkby, Jones, Henry, & Parks, ; Galloway, Birkby, Kahana, & Fulginiti, ; Hefner et al, ; Hinkes, ; Hurst, ; Hughes, Algee‐Hewitt, Reineke, Clausing, & Anderson, ; Martinez, Reineke, Rubio‐Goldsmith, & Parks, ; Reineke and Anderson, ; Soler and Beatrice, ; Spradley, 2014; Spradley, Anderson, & Tise, ; Spradley and Jantz, ; Tise, Kimmerle, & Spradley, ; Tise, Spradley, & Anderson, ;). Unidentified, or circumstantially identified, individuals from the PCOME (n = 120) with data in the MaMD are periodically updated as new identifications are made.…”

Re-Examination of Quality of Life Indicators in US - Mexico Border Cities: a Critical Review

“…Even further, the deaths of migrants (often not from Mexico) crossing the border and migrant children being held in border detention facilities have raised alarm in both U.S. and Mexico that border and immigration policy and practice need to change, which will likely impact QoL and social life in border communities (Barbaro 2019;Montoya-Galvez 2018). Finally, life on the border has been described as a humanitarian crisis, specifically the lives of migrants crossing or attempting to cross the border (Barbaro 2019;Peña et al 2017;Soler and Beatrice 2018). In particular, drug smuggling and human trafficking across the border can go hand-in-hand (Sanchez 2018).…”

Forensic Anthropology as a Discipline

“…They are also interested in the circumstances surrounding the death event, illustrated by perimortem trauma and taphonomic alterations, and potentially estimating a postmortem interval, e.g., [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Research also exists on the applicability of indicators of biological stress as part of the identification process [ 58 ] and investigations into gross human rights violations and structural violence [ 59 , 60 , 61 ]. However, the collection or analysis of such data is not routinely performed as part of forensic anthropological casework (i.e., reports provided in a medicolegal context).…”