Forensic Geoarchaeology in the Search for Missing Persons

Abstract

Despite widespread concern over missing persons, there has always been little clarity on what the word “missing” means. Although the category of young runaways is, indeed, an important cluster, other popular concepts related to disappearances describe a portion of missing persons. Thus, the following question persists: What exactly does “missing” mean? In this brief communication, we would like to open a discussion about the social phenomenon of missing persons and the consequent deployment of people and techniques to find those persons. In particular, the benefits of some forensic geoarchaeological approaches that are not yet fully standardized will be highlighted, such as geographic profiling and the use of multispectral satellite images, in order to provide materials for future searching protocols.

More than an Offender Location Tool: Geographic Profiling and Body Deposition Sites

“…When creating a geographic profile, it is important to note that context is vital, and one single model may not fully depict the intricacies involved in body deposition (Congram et al 2017). The accuracy of the geographic profile is increased when there are multiple locations and sources of data that can be linked to better locate the BDSs (Barone et al 2021;Congram et al 2017). Additionally, the inclusion of the offender profile and victimology will not only increase the accuracy of the geographic profile but will also highlight the fact that each case is different.…”

“…Firstly, it is essential to only include accurate information (i.e. from the police investigation or from reliable witnesses; Barone et al 2021). If there is conflicting information over a certain point in the case, or important location, it should not be included in the final product.…”

“…Important information when creating a geographic profile includes when and where the victim was last seen, the victim's last known position, the residences and workplaces of potential suspects (anchor points), locations that the offender and victim frequented, the potential routes taken to and from each point of interest, physical and mental barriers such as highways and rivers, and the activities undertaken by both the offender and the victim on the day of disappearance (Keppel and Weis 1994). This information is typically obtained by the police during the investigation, from as early as the initial missing person's report to interviewing victims, family members/friends, witnesses, and potential suspects (Barone et al 2021;Broadbent et al 2018;Gardner and Krouskup 2018;Keatley 2018;Keppel and Weis 1994;Morewitz and Colls 2016). Other relevant information can include a victim profile, which is not used to identify who the victim is (as this is usually known), but to identify what may have happened to them, based on their known psychological well-being and lifestyle choices (Foy 2016;Keatley 2018).…”

“…Like other scientific applications to investigative work, the quality of the final output will depend on the quality of the information input: In colloquial terms, rubbish in, rubbish out (Congram et al 2017;Ruffell and McKinley 2014). This concept also applies to the geographic profile final report, as it is entirely dependent on the quality of the information used to compile it (Barone et al 2021). To ensure the most accurate output, the use of good quality, high resolution, and corroborated data must be used (Congram et al 2017).…”

“…Today, geographic profilers, or alternatively geo-environmental profilers, use spatial, temporal, environmental, and geographic (STEG) information to locate body deposition sites (BDSs), as well as the more traditional application of locating a perpetrator's residence (or other anchor points). As such, geographic profiling is a multi-faceted investigative technique, as it calls upon the knowledge of criminology, psychology, and geography, as well as mathematics, statistics, and physics, and can be applied in a legal setting (Barone et al 2021;Rossmo 1999).…”