Bodies are carefully examined before being removed. Valuable evidence can include blindfolds, bullets, and bonds that indicate how a victim was killed. Jewelry or papers help with identification. The science of determining the cause of death is complex. An expert examining a bullet wound can determine where a person was shot, the range of the shooting, and the angle at which the bullet enteredall clues to whether someone was executed or not.
Identification is the next step.
Experts rely on witnesses, who may know who is in which grave. Accurate dental records help to make a match between a body and a missing person. DNA testing can also be used to help identify victims. In Rwanda, identification is almost impossible, due to a lack of records and the vast size of graves. But experts are optimistic they will be able to identify most of the two hundred bodies exhumed from Ovcara, Croatia, thanks to a list of who was in the grave.