A Study Of Ear Biometrics In Autopsied Cases At The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre

Abstract : Background The ears have increasingly been recognized as one of the supportive tools in forensics, based on the identifcation of landmark variations of ear biometrics in living persons. However, no studies on the reliability of such comparisons have been done on the deceased. Methods : The study aimed to investigate the correlation between ear biometrics and the age, sex, and stature of the deceased. The study was conducted on 181 deceased persons, aged between 18 and 70 years old on cases received by the Forensic Unit of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre. Documentation of age, sex, race, and height was recorded, and photographs of bilateral ears were taken. Measurements of twelve ear biometrics based
on the Iannarelli method and ear length and ear width were taken from the photographs.
Results Results showed that there was a signifcant diference between males and females in six ear biometrics.
There was also a signifcant correlation between ear biometrics, that is, ear length and ear width with the age
and height of an individual. Conclusions In brief, there exists a signifcant diference between males and females in ear biometrics with good correlations between ear biometrics and the height and age of an individual. Hence, the ear can be used for personal identifcation in the forensic feld.