Crime Scene

The place of a forensic archaeologist at a crime scene

The police will generally be in charge of any crime scene in the UK.  The Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) has full jurisdiction over the crime scene and will work together with a Crime Scene Manager (CSM) and other personnel (e.g. pathologist, coroner) who will advise the SIO where and when a specialist such as a forensic archaeologist is required (Hunter and Cox 2005; Hugland 2001).
A forensic archaeologist should be brought in whenever an investigation involves a buried body in order to correctly exhume the remains while making a contextual analysis of all the evidence contained within a burial site (Morse et al 1976; Skinner 2003).  They will be involved in processing the scene and are experienced in search techniques, stratigraphic excavation and recovery of human remains whether decomposing or fully skeletonised.  A forensic archaeologists expertise in taphonomic changes can help maximize the scene of crime and help understand the sequence of events surrounding the burial (Shultz and Dupras 2008; Hanson 2004; Klinkner 2008; Haglund and Sorg 2002).
All specialists play a crucial role at the crime scenes and interact closely with the forensic archaeologist.
Hugland (2001) argues that even archaeologically trained police and anthropologists simply do not have the skills or perspective that comes with an archaeological education. It is important to recognize the benefits of a professional forensic archaeologist at a crime scene, as excavation is a non-repeatable event and information can be lost due to improper recovery of remains (Haglund 2001; Hunter et al 2001; Hunter et al 2006; Klinkner 2008; Shultz and Dupras 2008).