Malaysia Crime Watch

19 March 2008
Shah Alam

Kuala Lumpur Hospital forensic consultant pathologist Dr Nurliza Abdullah told the High Court during the murder trial of Altantuya Shaariibuu yesterday that the bone fragments found at the crime scene were inadequate to determine the deceased’s ethnicity.

She said that although the easiest way to determine the ethnicity of a dead person is by examining bones from the skull, the fragments from the occipital, parietal and temporal areas found in this case represented only 10% of the skull. Earlier, Dr Nurliza told the court that she started her analysis on the bone fragments on 10 November 2006, spending three days to clean and categorize them.

The 43-year-old pathologist did manage to determine that the deceased was aged between 24 and 35 years, female and about 164cm tall, based on analysis and reconstruction of skeletal and hip bone fragments. She also noted that the skull had fine radiating fracture lines which could only be caused by a strong impact. Other bone fragments showed linear or fine line fractures, possibly caused by moderate impact.

The hearing continues today.

The Star Online – Not enough bones to determine ethnicity
<URL:http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/19/courts/20691362&sec=courts>

New Straits Times – Altantuya Murder Trial: ‘Only 10 per cent of skull recovered’
<URL:http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/2190530/Article/index_html>

MCW – Altantuya Murder Trial: Bone Fragments Scattered by Explosion
<URL:http://malaysiacrimewatch.lokety.com/altantuya-murder-trial-bone-fragments-scattered-by-explosion/>

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