Forensic Semiology An Applied Methodological Perspective on Human Identification

Abstract

To improve practice and increase the quality of human identification processes, this article proposes a methodological framework and interview to facilitate the recovery of antemortem information about ailments, illnesses, and injuries, referred to as forensic semiology. The proposal is based on experience working on the intervention at the Parish Cemetery in Penco, Chile. Twenty-eight cases, which correspond to a total of 61 interviews, were analyzed through a diachronic comparison of content during the 2010–2016 period. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of the semiology interview demonstrate an increase in the quantity and quality of supplementary information in the process of human identification based on skeletal remains.