CITIC and the University of Granada propose improving the identification of human remains with craniofacial superimposition

The University of A Coruña’s CITIC centre, a member of the CIGUS Network, an initiative launched by the regional government (Xunta de Galicia) that groups together centres of accredited scientific excellence, is developing an innovative technique to improve the forensic identification of human remains. Work is being carried out in collaboration with the DaSCI Institute of the University of Granada and Panacea Cooperative Research. CITIC investigator Óscar Panizo is a member of the team developing this technique, based on craniofacial superimposition, and which analyses the correspondence between a post-mortem skull and ante-mortem facial photographs.  

The new methodology represents a significant advance in objective decision-making, whereby the likelihood of a skull corresponding to the photographs studied can now be quantified. Although craniofacial superimposition is a critical technique in forensic identification, its application has traditionally been complex and subjective.

The study introduces an assessment system based on likelihood ratios (LRs), a methodology previously used in other forensic fields such as DNA analysis, voice identification, and fingerprint examination, and recommended by the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI). The research pioneers the application of this approach to craniofacial superimposition through three experiments designed to train and test the system under different facial image conditions. The first uses frontal photographs, the second employs lateral photographs, and the third integrates both perspectives.

The results of the experiments demonstrate that the LR system proposed offers excellent calibration and discriminatory power, providing forensic experts with a quantitative tool for assessing and integrating evidence.