Problems of Forensic Sciences 2011 Vol. 87 (LXXXVII) 253-263
THE USE OF SEARCH TECHNIQUES EMPLOYING GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR IN FORENSIC MEDICINE
Andrzej Ossowski, Piotr Brzeziński, Jarosław Piątek, Barbara Potocka-Banaś, Tomasz Janus, Katarzyna Jałowińska, Mirosław Parafiniuk
Department of Forensic Medicine, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
Streszczenie
The report presents the process of searching for World War II mass graves. In the introduction, the authors briefly discuss the principles of ground-penetrating radar operation and the effect of technical parameters of the device on its usefulness in particular types of investigations. Furthermore, the report outlines the historical background that served as the basis for selecting the site to be searched. The selection of a site of interest from the research point of view required verification of preserved eyewitness accounts of participants in the events, on the basis of archival documents and topographic maps dating back to World War II. The investigated case was difficult in view of a lack of any major material culture artefacts in the vicinity of the human remains and the extensive area to be investigated. The lay of the land and the type of substratum favoured the use of ground-penetrating radar. Preliminary investigations performed using classic single-coil metal detectors and double-antenna detectors yielded no results. The employed method and appropriate selection of an interdisciplinary team of investigators helped in locating the burial place of Red Army soldiers killed in action between April 20 and April 23, 1945. Until the research was carried out, the site was unknown; in the future, it will be investigated and the remains exhumed.
Słowa kluczowe
GPR; Georadar; Exhumation; War graves.