Validation of Subadult Age and Stature Estimation Methods Using a Contemporary Japanese Sample

Background/Objectives: Methods of estimating the biological profile in forensic anthropology must meet criteria set forth by standards for admissibility in legal proceedings. Subadult biological profile methods have not been as extensively validated due to limited sources of subadult skeletal reference data. Methods: Data for the contemporary Japanese validation sample were collected from full-body, postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) scans (n = 118). Ten subadult age and stature estimation methods using long bone lengths were validated for accuracy, precision, and bias. The methods included both linear and nonlinear regression. Results: Nonlinear regression methods yielded high validation accuracy and precision for age (>90%; 95.89%; <17 cm) and performed better than linear regression methods. Most methods do not meet criteria set by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Standards Board (ASB) or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Conclusions: As skeletal data become increasingly accessible, it is important to continue to validate currently available methods for estimating aspects of the subadult biological profile while also prioritizing the creation of new population-specific and generic methods applicable for forensic casework. Particular focus should lie on improving reference skeletal material variation, appropriate statistical modeling, and adherence to standards in forensic anthropology. Recommendations for choosing the most appropriate method, given a subadult forensic case, are provided.