A Retrospective Study of Unidentified Bodies at the National Forensic Service Seoul Institute, 2017-2023

Identifying deceased individuals is a critical aspect of forensic pathology and with important implications for human rights and criminal investigations. Despite advances forensic identification techniques, many individuals remain unidentified. This retrospective study examined the demographic and forensic characteristics of unidentified bodies referred to the National Forensic Service Seoul Institute from 2017-2023. Of 438 cases initially registered as unidentified, 315 were selected, excluding duplicates, animal remains, and non-investigative cases. Among these, 191 cases remained unidentified six months post-autopsy. Ancient remains were suspected in 22.0% and analyzed separately. The overall unidentified rate was 60.6%, and 54.6% excluding ancient remains. Most unidentified decedents were male (75.9%) and aged 40-59 years. Bodies were commonly discovered in aquatic environments (35.6%) or mountainous areas (29.3%) and were frequently decomposed (40.8%) or skeletonized (25.1%). The manner of death was unknown in 68.1% of cases because of advanced decomposition and limited investigative information. Among cases with a determined manner of death, unnatural deaths were more common than natural deaths, with suicide (hanging) being the most common. All cases underwent DNA analysis, and additional techniques, such as forensic odontology (66.0%), anthropology (53.9%), geographic origin estimation (23.6%), and facial reconstruction (19.9%), were applied. However, these methods were often hindered by poor body preservation and a lack of antemortem data. This study provides comprehensive statistics on unidentified bodies in South Korea and highlights the need for an integrated national database linking unidentified decedents and long-term missing individuals.