Ante-mortem data (AMD)
Definition
Information gathered from families and other sources about a missing person before their remains are identified: physical descriptions, medical and dental records, clothing and personal effects, and DNA reference samples from relatives. The foundation of any victim identification process.
Related terms
- Dignity of remains
- The ethical principle that human remains should be handled with care and respect regardless of the circumstances of death or the condition...
- ICRC
- The International Committee of the Red Cross, an independent humanitarian organisation that has developed widely referenced guidelines on the handling of the...
- Repatriation
- The return of human remains, or cultural objects associated with those remains, to the country, community, or family from which they originate....
- Secondary context
- A location where remains have been deposited after being moved from the primary deposition site. Non-disturbance of secondary contexts means not excavating...
- Victim family liaison
- The structured process of maintaining communication between an investigation team and the relatives of victims or missing persons. Effective liaison involves both...
Explained in
- Ethics and Human-Rights ObligationsInformation gathered from families and other sources about a missing person before their remains are identified: physical descriptions, medical and dental reco...