TITLE: Multi-isotopic studies applied to cold case investigations for human provenancing

AUTHORS:
Laura Font 1, Gerard van der Peijl 2, Carina van Leeuwen 3 and Gareth R. Davies 1

PRESENTING AUTHOR: Laura Font 

ADDRESS
1Faculty of Earth and Life Science (FALW), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1085 De Boelelaan, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. l.fontmorales@vu.nl, telf:0031-205987316
2 Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), Laan van Ypenburg 6, 2497 GB The Hague, The Netherlands.
3Team Review and Cold Case, Politie Amsterdam-Amstelland, Kabelweg 25, 1000 CG Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

PREFERED PRESENTATION: ORAL     

KEY WORDS: stable and radiogenic isotopes, human provenancing, cold case.     

ABSTRACT:
A large cold case project has been on-going in Amsterdam since 2011, to obtain provenance information on 27 unidentified deceased persons, found during the last three decades. Key information required to aid the police investigations are whether the individuals are of local (Dutch) origin, or if and when an individual moved into the region where he/she was found dead. Consequently, as part of this project isotope ratio investigations (H, C, N, O, Pb, Sr) are being determined on selected human tissue samples (hair, nails, bone, teeth) from 11 selected individuals. The isotopic composition in these human tissues derives from dietary inputs through water and food ultimately derived from the environment and propagated through food webs to animals and humans. Different human tissues provide different time windows into the life history of the person providing provenance information from early life (i.e. tooth enamel) to recent time (i.e. hair) before death of the individual. Mass spectrometry methods (i.e. IRMS for stable isotopes, TIMS and MCICPMS for radiogenic isotopes) are used for the isotope investigations. Details of the sample preparation and the analysis methods will be discussed. Results of the isotope provenance investigations will be reported and discussed in relation to previously available information for the individuals.

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