A tattoo is a design imprinted onto the skin that can sometimes be a useful mark of identification of a non-skeletalized body or a suspect using a false identity. It is believed that tattooing was first practiced in Egypt around 2000 B.C., and its use has spread around the world. Today a wide cross section of the population bears tattoos, from fashion models to known criminals and gang members. The designs are as varied as the people who wear them; names of loved ones are popular, as are symbols denoting membership of a group. Tattoos may be done just for fun, or they may have a more sinister connotation; for instance, prisoners have sometimes been tattooed with numbers, especially in concentration camps. Some elderly people may bear tattoos relating to experience in the Holocaust.

When a pathologist carries out an autopsy, he or she will look for and record tattoos in the same way as for any other body marks that could be identifying, like scars or birthmarks. The location and nature of the tattoo are the identifying features. A tattoo is made by inserting dyes or inks into piercings...