Operation UNITED (Unknown Names Identified through Exhumation and DNA)
I led a team of students to participate in Operation UNITED which is a grassroots effort by the Detroit Office of the FBI and the Detroit Police Department to identify homicide victims from cases that have gone cold. These individuals are exhumed and bones are collected that can be sampled for DNA. The students assisted in the excavation of the decedents and I was part of a team of forensic anthropologists who confirmed the correct decedent was found by estimating the age, sex, ancestry and looking for any unique identifying features.
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Project Contact:
- Carolyn Isaac
- Anthropology
- College of Social Science
- cvisaac@msu.edu
Partners
- FBI Evidence Response Team of Detroit
- National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
- Detroit Police
Report of calendar year 2021 activity.