A taphonomical approach to the study of clandestine graves

Taphonomy originates as a branch of palaeontology addressed to the study of processes occurring from the pre-agonic stages of an organism to the recovery of the fossilized palaeontological record. The rigorous methodology in recording data and the analysis accuracy allowed application in forensic science. The use of taphonomical procedures in studying and searching for clandestine graves is described here. In the search for clandestine graves, taphonomy can help in narrowing the area of investigations, finding sites with major diggability and adequate topography, and detecting anomalies on the ground. In the study of clandestine graves, taphonomy contributes with rigorous excavation methods, stratigraphical survey, environmental reconstructions, sample and evidence records, burial characterization, body positioning and damages, and preservation patterns of human skeletal remains. Applications are also possible in karstic sites where “Mafia cemeteries” were found.