The Deceased’s Body Destroyed in Exhumation of Clandestine Graves: Case Reports and Literature Review

Korean J Leg Med. 2011 May;35(1):62-65. Korean.

Department of Pathology, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Division of Forensic Medicine, National Forensic Service, Seoul, Korea. zzeva@korea.kr

Exhumation in clandestine graves has to be done very carefully, since it is considered as a crime scene. Most such cases are related to a suspicious death and it is very important to search for human remains carefully. Before excavation, all operational procedures have to be planned in advance. Missing evidence or human errors can be avoided if each investigative team member works together with archaeological assistance and forensic pathologists. But in practice, it may be difficult to work according to established standard operational procedures because, in many cases, the clandestinely buried victims appear in unexpected areas or it is hard to locate the exact location of the site. Therefore, we present the following cases and hope that the general principles for exhuming a clandestine grave will be established so that they can be helpful in similar investigations in the future.

Key words : exhumation, clandestine grave

Case report