Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy as an Accurate Forensic Tool for Bone Classification and Individual Reassignment

Abstract

This article provides a detailed discussion of the evidence available to date on the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and supervised classification methods for the individual reassignment of commingled bone remains. Specialized bone chemistry studies have demonstrated the suitability of bone elemental composition as a distinct individual identifier. Given the widely documented ability of the LIBS technique to provide elemental emission spectra that are considered elemental fingerprints of the samples analyzed, the analytical potential of this technique has been assessed for the investigation of the contexts of commingled bone remains for their individual reassignment. The LIBS bone analysis consists of the direct ablation of micrometric portions of bone samples, either on their surface or within their internal structure. To produce reliable, accurate, and robust bone classifications, however, the available evidence suggests that LIBS spectral information must be processed by appropriate methods. When comparing the performance of seven different supervised classification methods using spectrochemical LIBS data for individual reassociation, those employing artificial intelligence-based algorithms produce analytically conclusive results, concretely individual reassociations with 100% accuracy, sensitivity, and robustness. Compared to LIBS, other techniques used for the purpose of interest exhibit limited performance in terms of robustness, sensitivity, and accuracy, as well as variations in these results depending on the type of bones used in the classification. The available literature supports the suitability of the LIBS technique for reliable individual reassociation of bone remains in a fast, simple, and cost-effective manner without the need for complicated sample processing.