A Skeletal Atlas of Elder Abuse
Funded by the National Institute of Justice, the goals of this study are to 1) establish a skeletal atlas of elder abuse; 2) address the critical gap in current knowledge of how the aging process affects healing times following a fracture; 3) aid in education and improved criminal justice procedures; and 4) elucidate how differentiation of physical abuse from accidental injury contributes to the identification of modifiable risk factors for prevention of abuse.
Recent Presentations
Bolhofner, Katelyn L., Fulginiti, Laura C. and Jane E. Buikstra. Toward a skeletal atlas of elder abuse: A pilot study of fracture patterns in documented cases. 2018. Presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Seattle, Washington.
Bolhofner, Katelyn L., Fulginiti, Laura C. and Jane E. Buikstra. Establishing a skeletal atlas of elder abuse: An expanded study of fracture patterns in documented cases. 2023. Presented at the 75th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Orlando, Florida.
Jensen E*, Fulp K*, Harris JA, Buikstra JE, Fulginiti LC, and KL Bolhofner. Establishing a Skeletal Atlas of Elder Abuse: An Examination of the Relationship Between Bone Density and Skeletal Fractures in Accidental Falls and Suspected Abuse. 2024. Presented at the 75th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Denver, Colorado.
*Student presenters.
The Sonoran Desert Decomposition Project
The Sonoran Desert Decomposition Project is a long-term, multi-disciplinary study of taphonomy and decomposition processes, and their effects on post-mortem changes, of remains exposed to the unique Sonoran Desert climate. The complex data collected in pursuit of this research are being systematically incorporated into The Sonoran Desert Decomposition Database. Future work is planned in collaboration with Dr. Lauren Weidner, PhD, M-ABFE to investigate the intersection between anthropological and entomological data in pursuit of improved methods of post-mortem interval estimation
Recent Presentations
"They are our Parents"
Humanitarian Forensics in Paraguay
Humanitarian forensic science lies at the intersection of evolving technologies and community trauma, pushing us to ask how best can we deploy the innovation characteristic of ASU in contexts of deep generational pain and need? How do we truly make a global impact, pushing forward use-inspired research and implementing principled innovation to transform society? In collaboration with Dr. Rogelio Goiburú, MD, Director of the Historical Memory Department of the Justice Ministry of Paraguay, our team is laboring to identify, map, and excavate victims of Operation Condor in Paraguay and to provide the resources necessary to identify these victims and return them to their families.
Funded in 2023-2024 by a grant from the HHRRC, AAFS. https://www.aafs.org/HHRRC
Recent Presentations
