All posts by lathamke

Six people smiling and holding up six fingers.

Day 6

Community, Human Rights, Migrant Death

We all got the opportunity to volunteer at Missing in Harris County Day today.  We had different roles and experiences at the event. Justin, Ryan, Amanda, Helen and Dr. O’Daniel were all in the South Texas intake room being coordinated by the STHRC (South Texas Human Rights Center) and the EAAF (Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team). I was in the atrium for most of the event.  You can read about their experiences in the intake room in previous posts. I will tell you a little about the event outside the intake room here.

It was set up not only as a way for families to report a missing loved one but also as an educational event. They had booths with informational resources for families who had missing loved ones and a series a lectures and panel discussions. Additionally, they had an area for young children to play while their families were filling out paperwork.

Three individuals sitting in front of a yellow South Texas Human Rights Center banner
With Hailey and Eddie at the STHRC booth

I spent most of the event at the STHRC booth talking with attendees about the center along with Hailey Dueker and Eddie Canales.

Families and friends of the missing could put the name of their missing loved one on yellow ribbons. They were able to wear a yellow ribbon and display a yellow ribbon on this tree.

Families and friends of the missing could display pictures and flyers of their missing loved one.

I was invited to participate in a panel discussion called “The Missing and Exploited Discussion Panel”. It included both families of the missing and professionals working to find and identify the missing.

A smiling woman with a laptop
Dr. O’Daniel

I was also able to go back to the intake room a few times to check on progress in there and see what the other UIndy team members were doing. It was amazing to see the flurry of activity in that room. In addition to the STHRC and UIndy, there were volunteers from many organizations represented.

KEL

Missing in Harris County Day / Dia de los DESAPARECIDOS en el Condado de Harris

Community, Human Rights, Migrant Death

Today is the 2nd Annual Missing in Harris County Day event. The event will have two areas for families to report missing loved ones: 1) a loved one missing in Harris County and 2) a loved one missing anywhere in South Texas.  If your loved one is missing in Harris County you will work with representatives from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.  If your loved one went missing in South Texas you will work with representatives from the South Texas Human Rights Center and Argentinian Forensic Anthropology Team.  We encourage any of our readers with missing loved ones to please come to the event today.  If you do not have a missing loved one but would like to learn more about the humanitarian crisis on the border you are welcome to come and join in a variety of other activities planned for the day as well.

The event will have free refreshments, personal guides to escort families of the missing, semi-private areas to talk with missing persons professionals, forensic professionals performing identification cheek swabs, Cyber Security demonstrations, panel discussions addressing missing persons issues, Child ID kits, activities for children, and much more.

Please bring the following if you are searching for a missing loved one: ID documents and photos of the missing person; two of the missing person’s closely related family members from the mother’s side for the collection of identification cheek swabs plus any other family members that can give a reference DNA sample; X-rays, dental or medical records, or other identifying documents; families and friends are welcome to wear memorial t-shirts and bring posters to commemorate their missing loved one.

Schedule of Events for the 2016 Missing in Harris County Day Event

10:00 AM – Event opens (Food and atrium with informational booths is open and available; Families can begin filing missing persons report

11:00 AM – Introductory Remarks

11:30 AM to 12:30 PM – The Missing and Exploited Discussion Panel

Co-Facilitators: Dr. Dwayne A. Wolf, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, HCIFS and Dr. Christine Kovic, UH-CL

Panelists:  Dr. Krista Latham, University of Indianapolis;  Lt. Manuel Cruz, HPD Missing Persons;  Lise Olsen, Houston Chronicle Reporter;  Carol Haaga, mother of Paul Schrum;  Nancy Lopez, sister of Nidia Rodriguez;  Karen Olvera, niece of Adalberto Chavez;  Yesseinia Olvera, niece of Adalberto Chavez;  A representative on trafficking issues

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM – The Missing Children Discussion Panel

Facilitator: Beth Alberts, CEO of Texas Center for the Missing

Panelists:  Tim Miller, CEO of Texas EquuSearch;  Officer Darrin Buse, HPD Missing Persons;  Gloria Esparza, mother of Ryan Esparza;  Jo Ann Lowitzer, mother of Ali Lowitzer;  NCMEC Project Alert representative;  NamUs representative

2:00 PM to 3:00 PM – Continue to collect missing persons information

Event Details: Date – Saturday May 14, 2016; Time: 10am-3pm; Location:  University of Houston-Clear Lake (Bayou Building Atrium)

Day 3

Human Rights, Migrant Death

Beyond Borders Day 3 team picture

We have spent the last three days working at the  Texas State University Osteology Research and Processing Laboratory (ORPL) located on the Freeman Ranch. Our main goal in visiting the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State is to conduct skeletal analyses on unidentified migrants recovered in Brooks County Texas. Over the course of two years (2013-2014), the University of Indianapolis team worked with teams from Baylor University to exhume over 100 unidentified individuals from the Sacred Heart Burial Park in Falfurrias. Brooks County no longer buries its identifieds, so in addition to those exhumed individuals needing forensic anthropology analysis there are additional individuals that have been and continue to be recovered from the county needing attention as well. The recoveries and exhumations happen very quickly but the skeletal analyses take a much longer time. Therefore, there are still individuals needing a forensic anthropology analysis in order to begin the identification process. Many of these unidentified individuals were (and are) brought to Texas State University for analysis as part of their Operation Identification initiative. Last summer and this summer we volunteered to visit Texas State for a week of intensive focus on skeletal analyses. Last year the UIndy team and teams from Texas State and other universities completed 15 skeletal analyses in five days.  We are on track to do that again. It is amazing watching so many dedicated volunteers passionately working towards identifying these individuals.

Team member Justin performing skeletal analysis
Justin

In addition to working on the skeletal cases, the UIndy team has been offered other opportunities to participate in the identification process.  We routinely do forensic casework in Indiana, but we only bring the skeletal elements back to our lab for a scientific examination. All personal effects and associated evidence go with local law enforcement.  This week the UIndy students were given the opportunity to work with the personal effects of the unidentified migrants. They removed the items during intake, washed them and documented the items (with photos and notes).  This is a valuable learning experience for the UIndy team. It not only provides a learning opportunity but also a way to see another side of this humanitarian crisis.

Dr. Latham and Helen working together on skeletal analysis
Dr. Latham and Helen

This week the UIndy and Texas State teams have analyzed 11 cases to date.  UIndy was given a goal of 8 cases and I think we will meet and might even exceed that number. That means more individuals that are entering the identification process. Plus, once we get through the backlog of individuals that need forensic analyses we can begin to focus on the exhumations again.

~KEL