In cases of burns or disfiguring injuries, scientific identification is used to

• A. Achieve personal identification
• B. Determine blood type
• C. Estimate age
• D. Determine race

Answer: (A)

When faces are burned or severely disfigured, you can’t rely on facial features or appearance for identification. The goal becomes establishing personal identity by comparing postmortem findings with ante-mortem records. The strongest path is to match data that uniquely ties to a person, such as dental records, DNA profiles, and radiographs or other medical records. This approach lets investigators confirm exactly who the deceased is and reunite remains with the right family.

Blood type, age, and race don’t provide a definite individual identification. Blood type can be shared by many people and isn’t unique to one person; age estimates are approximate ranges, not precise identities; race is a broad descriptor and not reliable for positively identifying a person.