Silent Witness: How Forensic Anthropology is Used to Solve the World's Toughest Crimes

Praise for the first edition:
This book should be of considerable interest to a broad range of general readers ... recommended.
--Choice

An important introduction to the science of forensic anthropology.
--Kliatt

Silent Witness takes readers behind the scenes on real crime cases requiring the skills and expertise of a forensic anthropologist. It describes the techniques they use, how they locate a body and uncover evidence, and how the unique characteristics of each body bear silent witness to age, sex and cause of death as well as clues leading to who or what was responsible.

Following a foreword and case study by world-renowned forensic anthropologist Cyril Wecht, the book opens with a review of the science of forensics--how bones "talk." Eight chapters organize 350 color photographs and illustrations to focus on such topics as the history of forensic anthropology; what bones tell us; types of interment and exhumation; body decomposition, facial reconstruction; air disasters; fires and explosives; and massacres.

The book uses 32 real-life case studies to illustrate the techniques used. They include the notorious (Ernesto "Che" Guevara, Jeffrey Dahmer); the tragic and explosive (American Airlines Flight 191, the Hinton Rail Collision); the horrific (dirty wars, genocide); and the wretched (bank robber and circus exhibit Elmer McCurdy).

Since it was first published, Silent Witness has been used in high school and college classrooms across North America as a required text or recommended reading.

Roxana Ferllini has worked for the UK Foreign Office as a Senior Forensic Anthropologist in their missions to Kosovo and for the United Nations as a Forensic Anthropologist in Rwanda. She has written extensively on facial reproduction, political conflict and genocide in Rwanda and the role of forensic anthropology in human rights issues. She has a Master of Arts in biological anthropology and is a respected teacher of forensic anthropology to doctors and judges. She also teaches at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Cyril H. Wecht is a forensic pathologist, attorney and medical-legal consultant certified by the American Board of Pathology. He teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and the Duquesne University Schools of Law, Pharmacy, and Health Sciences. Dr. Wecht has performed approximately 17,000 autopsies and has supervised, reviewed or has been consulted on approximately 30,000 additional postmortem examinations.