ME: Identifying bodies could take awhile

The process to identify human remains can take weeks, and the four women found in brush between Gilgo and Cedar beaches may never be identified if family or dental records don't match the DNA evidence taken from the bodies, the Suffolk County medical examiner said Thursday.

A number of researchers from Suffolk County's crime lab, forensic toxicology and medical forensics units are involved in the process. Also assisting are forensic anthropologists from the New York City medical examiner's office, considered to be "the most experienced anthropologists in the country," Suffolk County medical examiner Dr. Yvonne Milewski said.

The basic methods of identification begin with visual matching and then fingerprints, X-rays and bone analysis, Milewski said.

The process of extracting DNA from skeletal remains takes longer than extracting DNA from soft tissue - up to 30 days, she said.

Fundamental traits such as race, gender and age can sometimes be determined by physical biological remains even if the skin tissue is gone. For example, "the human skeleton is different in men and women," she said.

The environment also can play a role, with different plant matter in or around the bodies signifying different seasons.

The task of identifying the bodies was difficult given the degree of deterioration, she acknowledged.

"They are decomposed," she said of the bodies. "Visual identification is not possible."