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The semester is finally over.  All of my papers are turned in, projects are done, and exams are over.  I have been so busy the past few weeks that it has not hit me until now that we leave for Texas in only a few days. While this may seem like an adequate amount of time, there is still so much I have to do before we leave.  I still need to purchase and gather my supplies, pack my suitcase, and begin to prepare myself physically and emotionally for what lies ahead.

This trip is going to be very different from our previous trip in January, so I am at a loss when it comes to expectations.  While our January trip consisted of finishing the exhumations in Sacred Heart Burial Park in Falfurrias, TX, the current trip will include both lab analysis and exhumation components.  Because our trip in January marked my first involvement with this project, the lab analysis portion is completely new to me. My analysis duties will consist of various aspects of skeletal inventory, dental charting, aging techniques, and photography.  While I have participated in these aspects of skeletal analysis at the University of Indianapolis Human Identification Center, I have never had to complete several analyses in one day.  I think that this will be the most challenging part about the lab analysis portion of this trip – completing as many analyses as possible to begin the identification process and homeward journey for as many individuals as possible.  This coming week, I plan on brushing up on my photography and osteology skills to ensure I am prepared for this endeavor.

Despite the fact that we conducted exhumations during our previous trip in January, I do not feel any less anxious about the exhumation process because it will be taking place in a completely new county.  Rio Grande City (Starr Co.) is about 1.5 hours SW of Falfurrias, and it is situated right along the US-Mexico border.  Because this is a new and unfamiliar area, I do not have any ideas or expectations regarding what we will encounter upon arrival.  I am unaware whether the burials are marked or unmarked, whether they are in a specific part of the cemetery or scattered throughout, what the soil conditions will be like… we are basically going in blind.  Much like our last trip, I will again be creating all of the maps of the areas we excavate.  The unfamiliarity with this new cemetery makes me anxious, as I do not know what to expect and/or how to prepare.  In addition, the weather will be very different this trip. In January, some days had a windchill of only 20 degrees, and there was only one day that I considered “warm.”  My most recent weather searches in Rio Grande City indicate the temperature will range between 95 and 100 degrees with between 50 and 60% humidity.  The heat will be a new obstacle we will have to face, and will surely impact us in unimaginable ways.

I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to travel back to Texas and continue to aid in the humanitarian efforts occurring at the border.  I am lucky to get to be a part of such an extraordinary effort, made up of numerous agencies and countless hours, dedicated to identification and spreading awareness regarding the crisis occurring at the US-Mexico border.  I discovered within myself a passion for humanitarianism on my last trip to Texas, and I can’t wait to continue to give all that I have to this incredible effort.  I am grateful for every single experience I had on my last trip to Texas, but I am even more grateful to return.

Leann

On May 16 the UIndy Forensics Team will once again head south to work with colleagues at Texas State University on a large scale migrant identification initiative.  While we have been involved in these efforts since 2013, this mission bears some pretty dramatic changes for our team. Each mission has been different in its own right and we have come to embrace the motto “Expect the Unexpected”, but there are changes that warrant mentioning before we depart.

1 – For the first time we will be conducting skeletal analyses and exhumations in one trip. Our prior missions have focused on one or the other: exhumations at Sacred Heart Burial Park in Brooks County or skeletal analyses at Texas State University.  Both activities are intense and exhausting in their own way. Conducting multiple skeletal analyses per day requires mental stamina, as one wandering thought or eye can cause the analyst to miss an important detail or feature that could be potentially important in the identification efforts. Cemetery excavations are physically exhausting and bring the added dangers of environmental exposure (heat, dehydration, bugs, etc…) or injury. I have always been proud of the dedication of the UIndy student volunteers and am especially proud of this team, who didn’t hesitate when I explained the demands that this mission entails.  Each member sees the contribution they can make in this crisis situation as the most important deciding factor in their decision to embark on this trip.

2 – We will be moving our exhumation efforts to a different county. Since 2013 our focus has been on the identification of migrants who perished in Brooks County Texas, and were buried without a forensic investigation into their identity. However, Brooks is only one of many counties facing a similar crisis situation. The excavations on this trip will occur in Starr County Texas. We are humbled that we were invited by our colleagues at Texas State University to participate in this expanding identification effort and are eager to begin this new phase of the project. However, we will miss the familiar places and the familiar faces of our friends in Falfurrias.

3 – Our veteran team member Justin has retired. Justin has participated in  the entirety of every field mission since 2013. He has been our muscles when we needed strength in the field. He has been our senior analyst when we needed brains in the lab. He has been our shoulder when we needed to cry, and an outstretched hand when we needed support. He has been our translator when we needed a Spanish speaker, our nature
conservationist when we needed bugs, snakes, frogs and other critters relocated from our excavation spots, and our chef when we were hungry. He has been our comic relief when we needed a reason to smile and our motivational speaker when we needed a reason to not give up. He has been an invaluable part of the UIndy efforts towards migrant identification and I want to make sure that his decision year after year to put his heart and soul into this work does not go unnoticed. We will miss Justin, but wish him the best as he enters the next phase of his educational career in Forensic Anthropology: starting work on his doctorate.

The team for this mission consists of Leann, Erica, Jessica and Haley. Please continue to check back daily for updates on our work and progress regarding the entire initiative in general. Thank you for your support and please feel free to share this information to bring awareness to this humanitarian crisis situation.

~KEL

The graduate students (Jessica, Haley, Erica & Leann) that will be embarking our next Humanitarian Mission (beginning next week) worked with UIndy team alum Justin to create a 5 minute video  reflecting on why you should care about the crisis at our southern border.  They highlight issues of human rights, respect for others, treating others the way you would want yourself and your family members treated and misconceptions about the migrant population seeking asylum in this country. Please take the time to watch the video by clicking HERE.

We also invite you to begin checking the blog daily for highlights as begin our journey to Texas. There we will meet our colleagues from Texas State University to work towards migrant identifications in the lab, as well as in the field. Stay tuned for more details. We appreciate your support!