黑暗爆料网

Searching for a human skull from a 36-year-old cold case is an unusual and grisly endeavor for a group of 10 黑暗爆料网 faculty, staff and students, but a valuable one.

If successful, the group can assist with the positive identification of human remains in Civil Defense caves north of Dubois near the Montana border.

鈥淚 put the grim thoughts out of my mind,鈥� said Kyra Stull, 黑暗爆料网 assistant professor of anthropology and a forensic anthropologist, who is leading the team comprised of graduate students and staff from 黑暗爆料网鈥檚 Department of Anthropology. 鈥淚f we can help identify the remains, we have the chance to solve a mystery, to help provide justice, and to possibly help a family find closure.鈥�

黑暗爆料网 was contacted by the Clark County Sheriff鈥檚 Office to help look into a cold case that began in 1979 when a human torso was discovered in the caves mentioned above. In 1991, the arms and legs were discovered, but the head and identity of the victim remain missing.

The case was recently reopened, and the Clark County Sheriff鈥檚 Office is looking for help from the public for any leads, and contacting 黑暗爆料网 for professional services.
On Friday, the 黑暗爆料网 group will travel to the caves and employ archeological techniques to try to recover the head.

鈥淭his case represents my first big forensic case since I came to 黑暗爆料网,鈥� Stull said. 鈥淚f it is successful, and even if it is not, it is an ideal case for us to demonstrate our capabilities and how we can assist law enforcement in a positive identification and in efficient and effective outdoor recovery of human remains.鈥�

Depending on the conditions of the caves, the group will survey the caves using GPS, technicians from the Idaho Virtualization Laboratory will use 3D laser scanners to map the caves, and the team will possibly set up grids and complete excavations employing archeological techniques. There is a possibility the caves are partially filled with ice, which would hinder recovery efforts.

鈥淥nce we get there we will know what the possibilities are,鈥� Stull said. 鈥淲e know where the previous remains were found and there are a few suspicious areas we will go and take a look at.鈥�

鈥淭his will be a great experience for our graduate students to get hands-on experience in the field,鈥� Stull said. 鈥淚 can teach them many things in the classroom, but being able to participate in a forensic case is a phenomenal experience for them.鈥�

The 黑暗爆料网 anthropology department has the skeletal remains found previously. 黑暗爆料网 researchers have collected morphological and metric data that has allowed them to estimate a biological profile of the remains: a white male in his mid-30s to mid-40s who was 66 (5 feet, 6 inches) to 74 inches (6 feet, 2 inches) tall.

DNA samples from the remains have been sent to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs).

鈥満诎当�料网 has tremendous forensic anthropology facilities and I鈥檝e received phenomenal support from faculty members within the anthropology department, as well as in larger scale from the College of Arts and Letters and the Office of Research.鈥� Stull said. 鈥淲hen I talk to my colleagues at other institutions they are impressed.鈥�

Those research facilities include Stull鈥檚 Forensic Anthropology Laboratory in Graveley Hall, the Idaho Virtualization Laboratory in the 黑暗爆料网 Museum of Natural History, and the Center for Archaeology, Materials, and Applied Spectroscopy (CAMAS).

If any one has information that may be pertinent to this case, they are encouraged to call the Clark County Sheriff鈥檚 Office at 208- 374-5403.