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Comparative Study
. 2025 Aug 6;15(1):28810.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-14095-9.

Medico-legal identification of unidentified bodies and missing persons in Milan and Paris: a comparative institutional study

Lorenzo Franceschetti  1 , Tania Delabarde  2   3 , Debora Mazzarelli  4 , Cecilia Siccardi  5 , Annalisa D'Apuzzo  6 , Danilo De Angelis  6 , Marilisa D'Amico  5 , Ilaria Viarengo  7 , Bertrand Ludes  2 , Cristina Cattaneo  6
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Medico-legal identification of unidentified bodies and missing persons in Milan and Paris: a comparative institutional study

Lorenzo Franceschetti et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The challenges and methodologies associated with reporting missing persons and identifying unidentified bodies, including migrants and domestic deaths, widely vary worldwide. This comparative study delves into the medico-legal practices and legislative frameworks in Italy and France, specifically focusing on the cities of Milan and Paris and highlights the disparities and similarities in the processes and legislative environments of both countries. The ultimate aim is to propose improvements to existing methods and advocate for a more unified approach within Europe, recognizing the shared challenges and the need for concerted efforts in upholding the dignity of the deceased and providing closure for affected families. This study uses Milan and Paris as case examples to highlight the need for improved interconnectivity and procedural alignment in forensic identification across national and European jurisdictions, potentially anchored in internationally recognized frameworks, such as INTERPOL's Disaster Victim Identification protocol. This work indeed reveals that, while national and regional systems are in place for managing these cases, there are significant limitations in terms of interconnectivity, resource allocation, and management of data. The effectiveness of these systems, considering the high number of cases in large cities and the different scientific, administrative and legal variables involved is then discussed. The paper also provides a detailed analysis of the medico-legal procedures and the involvement of multiple professional disciplines in the identification process, emphasizing the multi-faceted nature of this work. The importance of collaborative strategies and shared practices at a supranational level to address the complex challenges in identifying missing persons and unknown bodies is underlined. The findings from Milan and Paris serve as a microcosm to understand broader patterns, offering insights that could inform global practices.

Keywords: Comparative study; Forensic identification; Missing persons; Personal identification; Unidentified bodies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: Since this study did not involve human participants, clinical trials, or the collection of identifiable personal data, no formal ethical approval was required, as it was conducted using anonymized institutional data and expert opinions collected within the scope of routine medico-legal activity. According to national legislation in Italy and France, studies based exclusively on non-identifiable data derived from public institutions do not require review by an ethics committee. Data were acquired as part of Italian and French forensic judicial investigations and, also in accordance to Italian Police Mortuary Regulation (Presidential Decree 285, September 10, 1990). Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from each individual participant. The participants have further consented to the publication of this article.

References

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