MOLECULES, BONES, AND THE BIOLOGY OF DEATH: BRIDGING FORENSIC BIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND MEDICINE IN HUMAN IDENTIFICATION AND DEATH INVESTIGATION

Background: Complex death investigations require the interpretation of biological traces, skeletal remains, and pathological findings within a shared evidential framework. Fragmented examination can obscure the distinction between identifying a person and explaining their death. 
Objective: To critically examine the complementary roles of forensic biology, forensic anthropology, and forensic medicine in human identification, trauma assessment, and postmortem reconstruction. 
Approach: A targeted narrative synthesis of selected primary studies and authoritative forensic guidance was undertaken, emphasizing validation and interpretive limitations. 
Synthesis: Genetic analysis supports identity and kinship assessment; anthropology contributes skeletal profiling, recovery, and contextual interpretation; forensic medicine evaluates injuries, disease, and potential causes of death. Their integration is particularly valuable for decomposed, fragmented, and commingled remains. Postmortem imaging, microbial succession, and stable isotope analysis expand investigative possibilities, but their evidential value depends on appropriate reference data, sampling, and validation. A proposed workflow links coordinated recovery, evidence-preserving examination, independent specialist assessment, and multidisciplinary reconciliation. 
Conclusion: Effective integration requires question-specific interpretation rather than uncritical accumulation of apparently concordant findings. Transparent uncertainty, preservation of contradictory evidence, and separation of identity from causal conclusions are essential to scientifically defensible death investigation. The proposed framework offers a practical basis for collaborative casework and future validation studies.