An expert on the identification of human remains has said the body parts found in a Dublin recycling plant may not provide enough information for gardaí to identify the man.
Gardaí have called on the assistance of a forensic anthropologist in order to shed some light on the identity and fate of a man whose partial remains were uncovered in waste material at the Thornton’s facility in Ballyfermot last week.
So far, they have uncovered an upper and lower leg as well as parts of bone and flesh.
DNA testing has confirmed that the parts belong to the same man.
Dr Elena Kranioti, an expert in the field who lectures at the University of Edinburgh and assists in live cases in Greece, said that while not fully briefed on the Irish case, it appears difficult given what was available.
Important information
Forensic anthropology is the scientific discipline in which remaining body parts can be used to establish important information such as age, sex, stature and indications of general health, all of which can lead to a breakthrough in identifying people. The chances of success, however, are relative to the level of material recovered.
Dr Kranioti said with just two parts of a leg, identifying the remains would be “very much difficult”, although she stressed she was not familiar with the specifics. “If you only have body parts in the lower legs it makes it quite difficult I have to say,” she added.
A skull is often valuable in such efforts as mock-ups of the person’s potential features can be drawn up for identification.
A search is continuing at the site with gardaí sifting through tonnes of material in an attempt to uncover further remains that may prove more substantial.
