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							| Forensic Anthropology


	

		
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				Vol. 4 No. 3 (2021)
			
		
	
							Research Articles
					



	
		

		
	
		
			Food Has No Borders
							
					Methodological Insights from the Forensic Isotopic Profile of a New York City Immigrant
				
					

	

	

		

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												Published:
						Oct 28, 2021
					

																								
																																														
														DOI:
							
								https://doi.org/10.5744/fa.2020.0043
							
						

									
													
												Keywords:
						
							
																	geolocation isotopes, 																	dietary isotopes, 																	Caribbean isoscapes, 																	US isoscapes, 																	food traditions															
						

					

							


		

		
			

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								Rhonda L. Quinn
																	
										Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work & Criminal Justice, Seton Hall University
									

																							

													
								Helen Alesbury
																	
										New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
									

																							

													
								Ligia Ceja
																	
										San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office
									

																							

													
								Angela Soler
																	
										New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
									

																							

													
								Linda Godfrey
																	
										Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University
									

																							

											

				
													
						Abstract

						
							Isotopic analyses of human remains augment the biological profile with geolocation and dietary information, furthering efforts to identify unknown individuals from a forensic context. Here we test the methodological resolution of geolocation (δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr) and dietary (δ13C, δ15N) isotopes of one identified individual who immigrated to New York City from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Lesser Antilles. Isotope-based geolocation estimates did not identify the childhood residency on SVG, but did point to New York City as a possible residence during early adulthood. The individual’s C3-based diet did not significantly change from childhood to early adulthood, illustrating the maintenance of food traditions after the immigration event. This study illustrates that further development of tissue-specific isoscapes incorporating bioavailable foods, drinking water, and cultural traditions is warranted to refine methodological resolution of isotopic applications in forensic anthropology.

						

					

				
				

			

			

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