In identifying a body, Wetli's team weighs and photographs the corpse, giving it a number before doing an autopsy. The body also is X-rayed. Because an explosion leaves body parts mixed together, forensic investigators must compare jagged edges of remains to fit them together. Then they used size, race, fractures and other characteristics to match those that belonged together. Positive identifications usually are made through fingerprints or dental records.
Fingerprints are the most useful and quickest way to identify bodies.
Other times, the skin on fingertips is sliced off to provide a better print. Dental matches take longer. Identifying younger victims in the TWA crash may be harder because they are unlikely to have the scars and other dental work that often come with maturity. Many of the Pennsylvania high school students on the plane probably had good teeth, Wetli said, and few fillings and other marks that make them stand out. He thinks the bodies are too gruesome.