SANTA MARIA, Calif. --
Authorities say it could take weeks before they can positively identify the body
found burned down in the cabin in Big Bear, believed to be that of ex-LAPD
officer Christopher Dorner.
If the body is burned beyond
recognition, officials says the body can be identified through dental records.
"Every tooth has a different size
and shape," says Santa Maria dentist Dr. David Ouellet. "The dental records such
as x-rays and photographs a dentist would have (can) easily identify a patient
very, very quickly."
You rarely think of your dentist
as a crime solver but in the case of positively identifying the charred remains
in Big Bear believed to be that of Christopher Dorner's, forensic dentists hold
the key.
"These are the dental x-rays and the white things on the
x-rays tell you whether they are crowns or fillings," says Ouellet. "The
position on those (are) like the digital or dental
fingerprint."
Dr. Ouellet says no two sets of teeth are exactly alike.
Forensic dentists will first look at the shape or anatomy of a tooth, what types
of metal filings were used and whether or not some teeth were missing--from
there, he says it's nearly impossible to get a duplicate.
"There's a number of things they
can do to positively identify a body," says Santa Maria Police Department
Detective Sergeant Terry Flaa. "It can be obtaining a DNA sample, fingerprint
analysis or often times, we rely upon dental work."
An Ouellet says dental records
are the fastest and most sure fire ways to find a match.
"The remains of a body are
usually the teeth are easily identifiable with different types of filing whether
it be gold, silver or a composite and the size and shape, and which teeth are
missing," says Ouellet. "Those are some of the few things left when a body's
destroyed."
Fingerprint and DNA samples are
best used when the suspect has a prior criminal history in which their samples
were already submitted to police.
