Introduction
In Brooks County, the bodies and remains of more than 500 migrants have been found since 2009 (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/04/us/texas-border-migrants-dead-bodies.html). Operation Identification (OpID) aims to facilitate the identification and repatriation of human remains found along or at the South Texas border through scientific analysis and collaboration with governmental and nongovernmental organizations. completed an internship with Operation Identification during the fall semester of 2017. This report will discuss the process the human remains go through when trying to complete a positive identification, from beginning to end, as well as, some duties that are performed to aid with the positive identification of these individuals.
Operation Identification
Operation Identification is a project that started back in 2013 The main goal is to identify the human remains of presumed migrants that are found along the Texas-Mexico border. When unidentified human remains are found, they are given a number for tracking purposes. Operation identifications goal is to change those numbers into names. Through close examination of the remains, we can establish a biological profile with DNA samples taken from the remains, which aids with the positive identification of these individuals. Once the remains are identified through DNA analyses and comparison, they are then repatriated so that they can receive a proper burial and the decedents families can get the closure they need.
Operation Identification started as a collaboration between Baylor University and the University of Indianapolis. They started exhuming unidentified human remains from Brooks County in 2013. Baylor completed skeletal inventories on the remains and then transfer the remains here to Texas State, where the remains were further analyzed to establish biological profiles and for storage. Today, these remains are laid out under a disaster tent at the Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) until further examination at the Osteological Research and Processing Laboratory is possible.
Overview of OpID duties
Some of the main duties that aid with the identification include the creation of a case report which includes the creation of a biological profile of the remains, cleaning and photographing personal effects, uploading case information to NamUs and the submission of DNA samples to the University of North Texas. For my internship, I was first tasked with keeping track of all the personal effects for all the cases we have. Personal effects are stored in large black bins with yellow covers. They were not arranged in numerical order, and sometimes the personal effects of one case would be in two or more separate bins; this made it very difficult to locate personal effects. After a few weeks I was able to reorganize all personal effects in numerical order and create a list that keeps track of how many bags of personal effects each individual case has.
Keeping NamUs updated is very important for Operation Identification. NamUs is a national centralized website for missing, unidentified and unclaimed persons (https://namus.gov). NamUs is freely available for use for any governmental agency and family members that are looking for a loved one. NamUs helps by providing general information regarding an individual’s biological profile, clothing and accessories, dental information, and circumstances regarding the individual. Every time we would have new photos of the personal effects of the cases, I would go into NamUs to add a written description of each one of the personal effects, as well as adding the photographs that show the clothing articles or accessories that could help with the positive identification.
Case reports are created for each individual case, these reports include all the biological profile, such as the estimations for sex, ancestry, height and age. They also include information about the personal effects, if any, that were found on or with the body. Detailed dental information is also added to the case report this can crucial for establishing a positive identification because dental work or any dental markers are unique to each person. Biological profiles help to narrow down the list of possible groups the individual could belong to.
The process
One case that I worked with from start to finish, case OpID 0643, can help to illustrate the process the human remains go through when trying to complete a positive identification from start to finish.
First, we begin with the exhumation of the remains. In May 2017, I was given the opportunity to help with exhumations of unidentified remains in Rio Grande City, Texas We were at the cemetery for an entire week, working from 6am until 3pm under the burning sun in 100-degree weather and no cloud cover. The soil we were trying to remove to uncover the burials was combined with hard clay and medium sized rock pebbles; our shovels were no match for the rugged soil. On May 25, 2017, we uncovered the remains of case 0643. Buried about 2 meters underground and with no grave marker, this individual was recovered by mere luck. He was buried in a body bag inside a coffin made of compressed cardboard.
Archaeological excavation techniques are a destructive process; once something is removed from the ground all evidence is gone, therefore documentation is very important. Once we fully uncovered the coffin, we mapped each corner of the coffin for future mapping reference and documentation. We also took photographs detailing the position of the container, as well as its position on the cemetery. Once all the documentation was done, we opened the coffin to see if there were any personal effects or any markings that would indicate who buried this individual here and who they were in life. We then removed the body bag from inside the coffin and then placed the remains inside another body bag. Outside this bag we then noted the burial number and the OpID case, 0643. Case OpID 0643 was the 9th body out of the 13 we recovered that week with the help of the University of Indianapolis and a bobcat operator who aided with the removal of dirt.
Case OpID 0643 was then transported to Texas State University. Here, the remains were left out in the facility to further decompose until they were ready for processing. Once the remains were mostly skeletonized, they were brought back to the facility for intake and processing.
During the intake, we then opened the body bag to expose the remains. Photographs and detailed notes were taken before anything else was removed from the bag. The skeletal remains were mixed in with what remained of the tissue. We then started pulling out the skeletal elements from the bag and started placing them in buckets; this makes it easy to complete a preliminary inventory form. We were able to recover some personal effects which belonged to this case they were stored in a separate plastic bag for further examination. Once that was completed, the skeletal elements were then placed in a kettle with some soapy water and bleach for 30 minutes to help remove any bacteria from the remains. The remains were then cleaned (processed) with toothbrushes and soap to remove any cartilage, or any tissue that might still be present on the bone.
After a week of cleaning the bones, they were ready for further evaluation to estimate the biological profile and DNA extraction. Through closer examination of the cranium measurements, I was able to estimate that the ancestry of this individual is Hispanic. This was determined by taking different cranial measurements at some important landmarks on the cranium. The landmarks used are described on the Data Collection Procedures for Forensic Skeletal Material 2.0. Once the measurements have been taken they are then uploaded to FORDISC 3.0, this is a computer program that uses statistical methods with a discriminant function analysis to estimate sex, age, ancestry and height. Once the values were inputted, the program determined that Case OpID is more closely related to the Hispanic group.
Upon further non-metric trait evaluation of the pelvis by using Klales et al. (2012), I was able to estimate the sex of the individual. Through the evaluation and measurements of some long bones, I was able to estimate the possible height of the individual. Courtney, a skeletal analyst that works with OpID, then helped me to estimate age with ADBOU, this program helps to give age estimates based on different descriptions of both the innominate and the cranial sutures. All of the demographic information pertaining this case was then uploaded to NamUs to the unidentified database, and the DNA sample will be taken and submitted to the University of North Texas for profiling and submission to CODIS (the Combined DNA Index System).
This individual had only some underwear, a small/medium sized towel, and a small white piece of plastic with a concavity in the middle. We needed to clean up the personal effects to see if there were any distinguishing markings, brands, names or even phone numbers that could further help us with his identity. Sadly, we could not find anything other than the brand and size of the underwear. The personal effects were then photographed and given a brief description of the item. Photos and descriptions of the personal effects will be uploaded to NamUs to the corresponding case.
Anthropological importance
Human migration is as old as humankind. As an anthropologist, I study this phenomenon; not only in its cultural aspect, but also in a social context. What encourages these people to make a deadly journey? As a society, how are migrants perceived by the countries they’re coming to, and how are they perceived by those whose country they left? Trying to understand the adversities these individuals went through in hopes of a better life with more opportunities is crucial for various human rights organizations. As an anthropologist, understanding where these individuals come from is important to aid with their positive identification.
Understanding the objects they carried with them on their last journey may also help their country of origin. Personal effects often include ID-cards, passports, and marriage/birth certificates these items are useful when trying to establish if the unidentified individual was indeed a migrant crosser (Birkby et al, 2008).
Most of the individuals that are being found along the United States-Mexico border are of mixed ancestry, such as European and Amerindian ancestry. Frequently, they exhibit a combination of both of these two parental groups and in some cases. Ross et al. stated “…in the forensic setting, the use of such an umbrella term (Hispanic) is problematic because it ignores the different ethnohistories and migration patterns of each geographical region.” Therefore, understanding the human variation among all these individuals plays a crucial role on the positive identification. Variation among individuals can be representative of migrating ancestors, that same migration that represented finding a better place to live. The same migration these individuals went through, to find a better life. The variation that is visible among the individuals being found in Brooks County forms part of a very long and old migration process.
Conclusion
My internship opened my eyes to a much bigger problem; I learned how disposable the remains of those who are presumed migrants are for some. Human remains are being buried without the most basic dignity, sometimes even without a coffin and without a grave marker, sometimes comingled remains inside biohazard bags and milkcrates. Seeing how easy it is for some medicolegal offices to dispose of unidentified remains like this makes me want to continue helping this project to make things better for these individuals, helping families get the closure they desperately need by explaining them what happened so that the healing process can begin. This internship opened my eyes to the great difficulties this project faces when trying to fulfill its goals. I was able to see that a semester is not enough time to help as much as I would’ve liked to, which pushes me to want to continue helping with the project for as long as I can. These individuals came a great distance looking for a better future for them and for their families. I want to be able to help those who can no longer help themselves, and help those who might make the journey.
Citations
Birkby, W. H., Fenton, T. W., & Anderson, B. E. (2008). Identifying Southwest Hispanics using nonmetric traits and the cultural profile. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 53(1), 29–33.
Fernandez, M. (2017, May 4). A Path to America, Marked by More and More Bodies. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/04/us/texas-border-migrants-dead-bodies.html
Klales, A. R., Ousley, S. D., & Vollner, J. M. (2012). A revised method of sexing the human innominate using Phenice’s nonmetric traits and statistical methods. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 149(1), 104–114.
Langley, N. R., Jantz, L. M., Ousley, S. D., Jantz, R. L., & Milner, G. (2016). Data collection procedures for forensic skeletal material 2.0. The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee Google Scholar.
NamUs – National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2017, from https://namus.gov/
Ousley, S. D., & Jantz, R. L. (2012). Fordisc 3 and statistical methods for estimating sex and ancestry. A Companion to Forensic Anthropology, 311–329.
Figures
Figure1. Uncovering the coffin where OpID 0643 was buried.
Figure2. Chloe and I mapping GPS coordinates for the grave markers.
Figure3. Opening a coffin. There was something written in Spanish inside the cover, I helped translating for Dr. Spradley.
Figure4. Daniella and I getting ready to clean personal effects.