Identification of the dead is not usually a problem. People are usually identified by relatives, or documents such as passports, or identity devices such as military ‘dog tags’, or hospital ID bracelets.

If the death triggers an inquest, one of the Coroner’s duties is to determine identity beyond reasonable doubt.

If the face has become too disfigured to compare with photographs, or to show to relatives, reasonable doubt as to the identity may exist, and the value of identity documents may be questioned.

Contrary to the impression given by the media, the next step is not ‘facial reconstruction’, or ‘DNA’, but to get a Forensic Odontologist’s opinion. If dental records are available for the ‘missing person’, they can be compared with the dental features of the unidentified body, and the Odontologist’s opinion given as to whether the identity is confirmed ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, or not.

If the dental evidence is flawed - most usually by inadequate dental records of the missing person, other forms of establishing identity may be ‘added’ to reduce doubt. Digital photographs of the missing person smiling may be overlaid onto images of the teeth of the body, and if there are suitable characteristics that coincide, this evidence can be added to other evidence to establish identity.

Evidence offered by the Forensic Pathologist can add weight to an identification - scars, piercings, tattoos, the presence or absence of organs (like the appendix, which may have been surgically removed in life), or of implanted surgical devices. These features may not be unique - except that surgical devices (even dentures) often have a serial number, which can be conclusive.

Clothing and possessions are also used to add weight to the evidence, if it can be proved that the missing person was wearing a particularly unique item at the time of death.

DNA processing at present takes a little more time than it appears to on the television, is not always conclusive, and is more expensive. This situation will certainly improve in the future.