Mass Grave Investigation and Identifying Missing Persons: Challenges and Innovations in Archaeology and Anthropology in the Context of Mass Death Environments

There has been widespread application of archaeological and anthropological methods to finding the Missing for several decades, with many examples known of mass death investigation after war crimes and crimes against humanity. This chapter asks what we have achieved and what more can be done. The problems and challenges faced in undertaking investigation of mass graves and examination of skeletonized remains are critically examined and discussed. Considerations, approaches, and processes to aid investigations to achieve objectives are presented that may improve our rates of finding the missing, achieving formal identification, and providing evidence of mass death events.