HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — In a lab on USF's campus, dedicated forensic anthropologists and students are doing the sacred work of piecing together clues about lives lost—without all the answers.
"We help with identification, trauma analysis, [and] facial reconstruction. I think we're one of the only forensic anthropology labs that actually do our own forensic art as well," said Dr. Erin Kimmerle, a USF professor and forensic anthropologist.
Dr. Kimmerle tells ABC Action News that to find out who someone is, how they died, and —in some cases— what they looked like starts with digging up as much information as possible about them and constantly asking questions.
"Are they really big and robust and clearly physical? Or maybe they're tiny, petite, you try to use that," said Dr. Kimmerle.
In a better-case scenario, they're able to help positively identify a person and answer questions that law enforcement and loved ones have been waiting on.
"It's very rewarding; it's exactly what we're here for here to do, what we're trying to do, so it feels like a job well done; it's also very heartbreaking," said Dr. Kimmerle.
They're identifications that Dr. Kimmerle says she hopes to see more of as the field of forensic anthropology becomes more accepted in law enforcement and criminal justice circles.
"I think as the field continues to develop and get bigger and it becomes more mainstream, in the sense of the main process of the criminal justice system, then I think that I think it will be utilized a lot more."
In the meantime, Dr. Kimmerle and her students will continue working. And to help keep their skills sharp and continue to solve cases—she tells us that they actually train using donors.
To learn more about the donor program and how it helps their research, click here.
