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Day 3 (Lab) – It’s the Eye of the Tiger

Human Rights, Migrant Death

Day 3 team photo.

“It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight…” Settling down for the evening and reflecting back on today’s events, I can’t help but to think about the lyrics of our ‘pump up’ song that we played on our way to ORPL this morning. For the first leg of our trip, we had a goal of completing a total of 6 skeletal analyses- approximating 2 a day. I am excited to say that we not only met our goal but completed an additional 3 analyses ending with a grand total of 9. To say we ended the first part of our journey on a high note does not cover the feeling of accomplishment that our whole team felt as we drove away from ORPL. For our group members, this was our first time participating in an analysis season and I feel that we set our goals fairly conservatively. The fact that we were able to surpass those goals and accomplish three more is incredibly exciting. This means that we have an additional three more people who are ready to have DNA samples submitted and have the potential of being identified. While we are able to reflect on these feelings of accomplishment, we know this trip is not about us. It is about getting people identified and today we came that much closer.

The past two days we were able to complete 4 analyses, today we did a total of 5.  I feel that today we were able to complete as many analyses as we did is because we had found our rhythm. One of the more beneficial things that our group does every evening is discuss the positive aspects that occurred that day and where we can improve. When we got to the facility this morning, we knew exactly what we needed to do to get as many analyses accomplished in the short amount of time we had to do them. We were also joined today by veteran team member Ryan, who currently lives here in TX.

Team members measuring skeletal elements in the lab.
Taking measurements for skeletal analysis

This experience has been extremely rewarding for many reasons. Our group has spent the last year sitting in a classroom learning different methodologies and this trip has allowed us to apply those methods in an actual case setting. Each case, each analysis, is incredibly different and has allowed our team members to see a wide range of variation with in the skeletal system that we may not be exposed to back in Indiana. We were able to see how different traits are expressed in different human populations and at first it was quite challenging. It forced us, as students, to think outside of our comfort zone and adjust how we would normally approach a case. Not to mention the one on one experience we got with our professor and fearless leader, Dr. Latham. I know I can speak for all when I say that we are incredibly grateful for the patience and time she spent with us going over ever feature and then giving us the opportunity to give our own assessments and being completely hands on through out the entire process. I am excited and anxious to see how our trip continues as we set forth into the second half of our journey. This past week has not been easy and I know that once we get to our next destination that we will have a new set of challenges that await us. That is what makes this process exciting; it is venturing into the unknown and not really knowing what to expect. What I do know is that I have a great group of people who will be by my side as we push our way forward and for that, I am incredibly grateful. Until next time, let Journey guide us on our way…. “Don’t stop, believing”.

Team photo in the lab.

Our last photo at ORPL

Jessica

Day 2 (Lab) – Setting the Pace

Human Rights, Migrant Death

Day 2 team photo in the lab.

Today was our second full day at the Osteology Research and Processing Laboratory (ORPL) conducting skeletal analyses. Our first four cases were individuals the UIndy team exhumed from Sacred Heart Burial Park when we were there doing exhumations in January. It is especially motivating for us to be able to follow these individuals from the exhumation to the analysis phase of the forensic investigation. Once the skeletal analysis is complete a forensic anthropology report is composed to  outline the decedent’s living characteristics, such as an estimation of their age at death, how tall they were in life and a determination of whether they were male or female (among other things).  Once the forensic anthropology report is complete, a sample can be submitted for the generation of a DNA profile. The DNA information is then compared to DNA profiles in a database that were submitted by family members of missing persons.  If there is a profile that is similar, the information about the missing person is then compared to the information in the forensic anthropology report as well as other documents that might have important information about the unidentified person, such as when and where the body was found. If there are no major inconsistencies between all the various pieces of data, then a personal identification can be made. It is not an easy or a fast process. But the sooner the skeletal analysis occurs, the sooner they will enter this process and hopefully be identified and returned to their loved ones.

team members analyzing skeletons in the lab.
Skeletal analyses at ORPL

Today the UIndy team hit their groove. There was no stumbling over the various steps in the process or waiting on others to complete steps before others could be conducted.  While two people were taking measurements, two others were analyzing non-metric traits and one was taking photos.  It was a pleasure as a teacher to watch them find their confidence, work well as a team and help each other along the way. While our team was working on cases, there was a team from Texas State lead by Dr. Tim Gocha that was working on cases as well.  The goal is to get as many of the 20 cases that are processed and ready for analysis completed by the two teams in three days. Also at ORPL this week is UIndy alum Caitlin (posing with us in our Day 2 photo).  It’s great to see how well she’s doing since graduating from the UIndy Human Biology Program. Tomorrow is our last day of skeletal analyses.  We plan to get there early and hit the ground running so that our last day is the most productive day yet.

~KEL

FARF – The Forensic Anthropology Research Facility

Snapshots

  Team members going through the entry gate to the research facility.

   When I explain my field of study to friends and family members, the conversation almost always involves mention and questions about the renowned “body farms,” where research concerning the process of decomposition takes place. Until today, the only knowledge I was able to offer about these body farms stemmed from word of mouth and reading about some of the research being conducted there. Today, as a break from skeletal analyses in the lab, my fellow UIndy students and I were able to visit FARF, the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility at Texas State University. And it was even cooler than I thought it would be.

A cow in a field.
Some of our team members may have been a little excited about the cows on the way to the facility…

two team members looking out the minivan window.

Our visit to FARF began with a light-hearted warning about fire ant mounds. Having visited Texas earlier in January, I thought I was familiar enough with the presence of fire ants to be able to avoid them easily (having been stung by one during said previous visit), but boy was I wrong. When the UIndy team was working in the field in Falfurrias, we would come across small ant holes, with fire ants pouring out of them, but they were fairly few and far between. At FARF, the fire ants created large mounds and almost every other step was carefully placed to avoid being swarmed. Needless to say, our eyes were glued to the ground being sure to avoid stepping on any of the mounds. Of course,

A spider in a tree
Yes, that is a spider.

we were  then warned about the large spider webs spanning the trees, so while our eyes were searching the ground for fire ant mounds, we were also conscious of what might be hanging between the trees.

Despite the insect and arachnid activity at the facility, FARF was very impressive. While walking through and observing the numerous research and educational projects being conducted there, I couldn’t help but think of new research questions that could be investigated there. The decomposition process is so highly variable and there are so many factors that may affect it that the possibilities for research are endless.

FARF is also where Texas State University allows their donated bodies to naturally decompose, while protecting them from carnivore scavenging. I greatly appreciated the amount of respect and sensitivity given to the wishes of those donating their bodies to the facility, and the amount of donations that FARF typically receives in a single year was impressive and inspiring, providing more opportunities for research in the field of forensic anthropology.

Overview of a grassy area with trees in the distance.

The end of the tour took a slightly more serious tone for me. Our final stop was the fenced enclosure in which the remains of the migrants who have perished crossing the border are allowed to decompose until they can be processed and analyzed. This final stop was made even more significant by the fact that the remains currently being held there were those that our UIndy team had recovered during the field season earlier in January. It was very humbling to see the next step in the process that will hopefully lead to the identification of these individuals whose families are still wondering what happened to them. Not only is FARF a very impressive research facility with many important projects being conducted there, but it is also part of the process that has brought the UIndy team to Texas year after year – to help identify those who have perished as a result of the crisis at the border.

Erica