Body Part Number (BPN)
Definition
A unique alphanumeric identifier assigned to every human-tissue fragment at the point of discovery, cross-referenced to its spatial coordinates and the personal effects found in association with it.
- Format
- Unique alphanumeric identifier
- Assigned at
- Point of discovery of a tissue fragment
- Cross-referenced to
- Spatial coordinates and associated personal effects
- Context
- Disaster victim identification, fragmented-remains recovery
Common questions
Why is a BPN assigned to every fragment rather than only to intact bodies?+
Mass-fatality scenes involving blast, fire, or transport disasters often fragment remains, and separate fragments may belong to different individuals or the same one. Assigning a BPN to each fragment as found preserves the ability to later reassociate fragments to a single identity through DNA or other matching, rather than losing that link at recovery.
How does the BPN system help prevent double counting of victims?+
Because each BPN records the exact find location and associated effects at recovery, reconciliation teams can distinguish separate fragments of one individual scattered across a scene from fragments belonging to different individuals, reducing the risk of counting one person's remains as multiple victims.
Related terms
- AM/PM Data
- Ante-mortem data (records from life: dental charts, medical records, DNA reference samples) and post-mortem data (findings from the body after death). Identification...
- DVI (Disaster Victim Identification)
- The systematic multi-agency process for identifying victims of mass-casualty events, governed by the INTERPOL DVI Guide 2018 revision. Organises work into five...
- Interpol Yellow Notice
- An international alert issued to help identify unknown bodies; complemented by the DVI PM (post-mortem) form, which captures all physical, dental, and...
- Scene Zoning
- The formal division of a disaster scene into sectors (hot zone, warm zone, cold zone) or operational grids, allocating search, recovery, and...
- Triage Recovery
- Recovery that prioritises the most complete or identifiable remains first, typically under time or resource pressure. Contrasted with systematic grid recovery, which...