Metodología interdisciplinaria para la búsqueda forense de cuerpos de personas desaparecidas dispuestas en contextos fluviales en Colombia

The concealment of bodies of missing persons by dumping them in rivers is a challenge for forensic investigators, who are focused on the search, recovery and identification of these persons. Given the complexities of this aquatic environment, it is important to design innovative search and recovery strategies using an interdisciplinary approach that address each of the variables involved in the process of transferring and depositing the bodies. This article presents the results of a research project carried out between 2017 and 2021 in La Miel river, located in the department of Caldas, Colombia. The study combined methodologies and techniques from social research, hydroinformatics, physical geography and underwater archaeology to identify areas of forensic interest where actions can be undertaken that lead to the search and location of missing persons. The research team developed afive-step methodology when searching for missing persons in rivers that includes: the definition and characterization of potential search areas; the construction of hydrodynamic and floating objects tracking models; the delimitation of geomorphological units of forensic interest (GUFI) and minimum search units (MSU); and conducting non-intrusive underwater surveys