Jade S. De La Paz

University of Otago, Anatomy, Faculty Member

Boston University, Anatomy and Neurobiology, MS Graduate

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Scientific Analysis, Forensic Anthropologist

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Professional Forensic Anthropologist at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Teaching and developing forensic science programme. Completed PhD in 2022, conducting multidisciplinary clinical anatomy and biological anthropology research on sexual dimorphism and muscular robusticity in the cranium and clavicle. I completed an M.S. in Forensic Anthropology at Boston University School of Medicine in 2013 and worked professionally as a forensic anthropologist at the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency from 2014-2018. I have experience working with the Massachusetts and New York City forensic anthropologists at Boston's and NYC OCME, conducting and presenting original research, working with graduate students as a teaching assistant, and working with professionals including Douglas H. Ubelaker, PhD, DABFA, as a research assistant.
Supervisors: Stephanie Woodley, PhD; Hallie Buckley, PhD; Siân Halcrow, PhD; Paul Emanovsky, PhD, D-ABFA; Jonathan D. Bethard, PhD, James T. Pokines, PhD, D-ABFA; Hugh E. Berryman PhD, D-ABFA; Douglas H. Ubelaker, PhD, D-ABFA

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Andrei Dorian Soficaru

Institutul de Antropologie “Francisc J. Rainer”

Mary Lewis

University of Reading

Enrico Cirelli

Università di Bologna

Gwen Robbins Schug

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Julia Boughner

University of Saskatchewan

Jean-Jacques Hublin

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Claudia Speciale

Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social

Christian Meyer

Veena Das

Johns Hopkins University

Arkadiusz Sołtysiak

University of Warsaw

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Papers by Jade S. De La Paz

Book Review: Mildred Trotter and the Invisible Histories of Physical and Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology

A Review of Mildred Trotter and the Invisible Histories of Physical and Forensic Anthropology, Em... more

Architecture of head and neck soft tissues and associated entheses: An exploration of sexual dimorphism in, and population differences between, New Zealand and Thai individuals

Journal of Anatomy

Understanding the musculoskeletal anatomy of soft tissues of the head and neck is important for s... more Understanding the musculoskeletal anatomy of soft tissues of the head and neck is important for surgical applications, biomechanical modelling and management of injuries, such as whiplash. Additionally, analysing sex and population differences in cervical anatomy can inform how biological sex and population variation may impact these anatomical applications. Although some muscles of the head and neck are well‐studied, there is limited architectural information that also analyses sex and population variation, for many small cervical soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) and associated entheses (soft tissue attachment sites). Therefore, the aim of this study was to present architectural data (e.g., proximal and distal attachment sites, muscle physiological cross‐sectional area, ligament mass, enthesis area) and analyse sex and population differences in soft tissues and entheses associated with sexually dimorphic landmarks on the cranium (nuchal crest and mastoid process) and clavicle (...

A review of the anatomy of soft tissues associated with sexually dimorphic landmarks on the cranium

Anatomy, 2022

Objectives: This review systematically assesses literature relating to five muscles and one ligam... more Objectives: This review systematically assesses literature relating to five muscles and one ligament connected to sexually dimorphic cranial landmarks-the nuchal crest and mastoid process-used for sex estimation in anthropology: the upper trapezius, semispinalis capitis, sternocleidomastoid, splenius capitis, and longissimus capitis muscles and the nuchal ligament. Although these soft tissues are not commonly grouped together in anatomical literature, they are anthropologically relevant in relation to cranial sex estimation. This review demonstrates how anatomical analyses can inform anthropological research and illustrates the benefit of multidisciplinary studies. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines and included journal articles and texts that discussed attachment sites, muscle architecture, function, and sexual dimorphism of the soft tissues in of interest. Results: A total of 804 publications were assessed with a final number of 64 relevant texts, including 53 primary scientific articles and 11 textbooks. Upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid were the most widely studied, while longissimus capitis and the nuchal ligament were the least. Additionally, there was limited consistent data on muscle architecture, attachment site morphology (entheses), sexual dimorphism, and population variation in these studies. Conclusion: This paper highlights the need for more detailed architectural and enthesis data from diverse sex and population groups, and interdisciplinary research that will improve understanding of sexual dimorphism in humans. This can be applicable in clinical anatomy when assessing injury rates between males and females, and in anthropology, when estimating sex from the skeleton.

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Architecture of head and neck soft tissues and associated entheses: An exploration of sexual dimorphism in, and population differences between, New Zealand and Thai individuals

Journal of Anatomy, 2023

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-... more

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Passalacqua Commentary on Identification of Missing Norwegian WWII Soliders in Karelia Russia

by Nicholas Passalacqua and Jade S. De La Paz

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Commentary on: Identification of Missing Norwegian World War II Soldiers, in Karelia Russia. J Forensic Sci 2015;60 (4):1104–10.

Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2016

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Recovery Rates of Human Fetal Skeletal Remains Using Varying Mesh Sizes

Human fetal skeletal elements of different gestational ages were screened with multiple mesh size... more Human fetal skeletal elements of different gestational ages were screened with multiple mesh sizes (6.4 mm [1/4 inch], 3.2 mm [1/8 inch], 2.0 mm, and 1.0 mm) to determine their recovery rates. All remains were previously macerated, and no significantly damaged elements were used. The 6.4 mm mesh allowed a large loss of elements (63.2% overall), including diagnostic elements, while no diagnostic elements were lost when the 1 mm mesh (0.2%) was used. When using the 3.2 mm mesh, 16.2% of the bones were lost, including some diagnostic elements (primarily tooth crowns), while 7.5% were lost using the 2.0 mm mesh. The authors recommend that the potential loss of information incurred when utilizing larger mesh sizes be taken into consideration when planning recovery methods where fetal remains may be encountered and that a minimum of 1.0 mm mesh be utilized in recovery contexts known to include fetal remains.

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Distinguishing Homicides and Suicides in Firearm Fatalities: The Role of Skeletal Trauma Analysis

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Skeletal Indicators of Pregnancy and Parturition: A Historical Review

Journal of Forensic Sciences, Jul 2012

Over a century of scientific literature has documented the research and analysis relating to the ... more Over a century of scientific literature has documented the research and analysis relating to the possible skeletal evidence of pregnancy, parturition, and childcare, yet today, there still exists variation in methodology and interpretation. Historical perspective facilitates understanding of the growth and development of the theories and research currently available to the forensic science community. Review of the relevant literature clearly indicates that specific skeletal alterations are not exclusively connected to obstetrical events. Although parturition and related events have been shown to leave various alterations on bone, the research record also demonstrates that other factors can contribute to the same or similar changes. Additionally, such alterations can often be found in nulliparous women and men and are frequently absent in parous and multiparous women. This literature review calls for the continued exploration of skeletal alterations for determining parity status in human skeletal remains.

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Book Review: Mildred Trotter and the Invisible Histories of Physical and Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Anthropology

A Review of Mildred Trotter and the Invisible Histories of Physical and Forensic Anthropology, Em... more

Architecture of head and neck soft tissues and associated entheses: An exploration of sexual dimorphism in, and population differences between, New Zealand and Thai individuals

Journal of Anatomy