FGCU forensic anthropologist Heather Walsh-Haney has consulted for law enforcement and medical examiners on thousands of cases. She currently works around 100 field cases each year, bringing along trained students whenever possible. “Our program at FGCU is unique because we are doing active casework — and I bring those experiences into the classroom and with students coming to court to watch me testify as well.”
Walsh-Haney also directs FGCU’s Human Identity & Trauma Analysis Laboratory and the “body farm,” where students are trained to uncover planted “evidence”—donated human skeletal remains. There they learn to use the tricks of the trade, sifting through layers of dirt; using tools such as compasses and GPS; and recording soil temperature, pH, and other conditions. Students are also taught to handle remains with “compassion, ethics, transparency and seriousness.”
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