Forensic Analysis of Skeletal Remains Recovered from the Second World War Mass Grave of Ossero: From Biases to Uncertainties

Background/Objectives: Personal identification is a cornerstone of Forensic Medicine. Historical records indicated that 27 Italian soldiers were executed by Tito’s army in April 1945 and buried in the mass grave of Ossero (Cres Island, Croatia). Methods: The remains, exhumed in 2019 by Croatian authorities and transferred to the Sacrario d’Oltremare (Bari, Italy), underwent radiographic and anthropological analyses. Genetic analysis was later performed on 147 bone samples, leading to the identification of 10 soldiers. Results: Anthropological analyses revealed commingled remains of at least 34 individuals (15–45 years; 161–181 cm), including eight skeletal elements of female sex. Forensic examination confirmed cranial and post-cranial gunshot wounds. Conclusions: Extensive commingling and fragmentation of the remains prevented full reconstruction of individual skeletons, yet comparison with ante-mortem data supported their identification as the aforementioned soldiers. Unexpected findings, including historically undocumented females, were confirmed by DNA analysis. These findings underscore the value of a multidisciplinary approach to optimize recovery and subsequent forensic and genetic investigations.