04-18-2005
http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/forensics/bill_bass/index.html
The Body Farm
By Katherine Ramsland
In her 1994 novel, The Body Farm, Patricia Cornwell introduced readers to a "decay research facility" at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. It's actually called the Anthropology Research Facility, but Cornwell overheard a nickname that cops had adopted, and called it The Body Farm. "On any given day," she writes, "its several wooded acres held dozens of bodies in varying stages of decomposition." Given such a description, one might think this place is imaginary, but it's not. It's quite real, and Cornwell actually visited it. In the narrative, she goes on to describe what it's like to walk through the "bizarre but necessary kingdom." The first thing she mentions is the pervasive foul odor—the "language of the dead"— and then points out the tall wooden fence surrounding the facility, topped with coiled barbed wire. She directs her main character, medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, to glance at bodies in water-filled pits tethered to cinder blocks, and indicates that Scarpetta is aware that other corpses are decomposing in cars parked around the area. A skeleton is at the wheel of a white Cadillac, and a skull grins up at her from among a pile of fallen leaves. At this facility, the dead are silent helpers for the living. In all, on that day, Scarpetta is surrounded by 44 of them. Cornwell describes the experiments that the researchers at The Farm have done to assist Dr. Scarpetta with a murder investigation in which a corpse bore an unidentifiable mark. They have measured the decomposition rate of a body in a basement versus a body in the same condition outdoors. (Cornwell offers a vivid scenario to readers with strong stomachs as to how the changes differ between these decomposing bodies — a couple who committed suicide in quick succession over the husband's fatal illness.)
The researchers have placed several metal items beneath one of the bodies to try to determine what might have made an unusual mark found on the crime victim. They turn over the corpse to examine the impressions and oxidation residue from nails, an iron drain, bottle caps, and coins, and then compare them with photographs from the victim. Impurities from the coins bear the closest resemblance. That observation, along with the photographs taken at both the distant crime scene and the facility, provides a significant lead. Cornwell learned about this place when she was working in the Virginia medical examiner's office. She attended a slide lecture and heard an FBI fingerprint examiner mention "the Body Farm." She later recalled all this after becoming a strikingly successful novelist. Like Scarpetta, she asked the scientists to conduct an experiment for her, and because her questions were of scientific interest, the facility's founder and director obliged. That person was Dr. Bill Bass, and his innovative service to law enforcement can't be found anywhere else in the world. In some ways, it was serendipitous, the result of his diverse experiences, but as one reviews Dr. Bass's extensive career, it's also clear that his pioneering spirit and desire to learn about stages of death inevitably would have yielded something interesting. Forensic anthropology is the application of physical anthropology to the medico-legal process. That is, forensic anthropologists assist law enforcement investigators and medical examiners to identify human skeletal and decomposing remains, generally working in cooperation with pathologists and odontologists to estimate the age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique bony features of the deceased. Using their specific expertise, they may furnish clues pointing toward foul play. Once he had his M.A. in this subject, Bass applied to several schools for a Ph.D. program, but he wanted only to attend the University of Pennsylvania to study with Dr. Wilton Krogman, known as "the bone detective." To his delight, he was accepted into that program. He worked alongside Krogman on his forensic cases and in February 1957, they were called to examine the remains of a young boy who had been murdered and dumped in the Fox Chase area of Philadelphia. As disturbing as the case was, no one knew that it would become a famous investigation.
As part of the Forensic Anthropology Center at UT-K, this protected, two-and-a-half-acre field dedicated to the study of decomposing human remains is truly unique. "Before our work, no one had ever established a time line," Bass said. "There are a lot of factors that can affect how a body decomposes, but we found that the major two are climate and insects. When a person dies, the body begins to decay immediately and the enzymes in the digestive system begin to eat the tissue. You putrefy, and this gives off a smell. Up until about two and a half weeks, one of the best ways to tell how long a body is dead is to look at the insect activity. The first of the critters to be attracted to a decaying body are the blowflies. They come along and lay their eggs, which hatch into maggots. The maggots then eat the decaying tissue in a fairly predictable way." Measuring and recording this information, along with climatic variables such as temperature and humidity, gave the facility its raison d'être. Since those early days, the place has evolved. Scientists still use a few unclaimed bodies, but mostly accept those that have been donated to science. There's even a waiting list for people who want to designate the Body Farm as their final destination.
As part of the Forensic Anthropology Center at UT-K, this protected, two-and-a-half-acre field dedicated to the study of decomposing human remains is truly unique. Corpses that arrive at the facility have been placed in all kinds of positions and conditions: locked in a car trunk, lying in direct sunlight, hidden under canvas and plastic, buried in mud, hung from a scaffold, closed into coffins, refrigerated in the dark, zipped into body bags, and submerged in water, to name a few. One body may come in headless, another with wounds. Some are even embalmed, and a few are dismembered. Stages of insect infestation on corpses are examined, along with general exposure to the environment and disturbances by small rodents. When there's an ongoing project, the person assigned to it—often a graduate student in anthropology—makes a precise digital record at regular intervals of various aspects of the disintegration process. He or she may also use an electronic nose with numerous sensors to record changes in the odors. These are fed into a gas chromatograph, which separates and analyzes the distinct parts of compound mixtures. One hope is to develop sprays that can be used to train cadaver dogs. Marks and his colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are also isolating specific biochemical markers that will provide precise measurements of the postmortem interval during the first two weeks after death. The researchers analyze soil samples as well as bodies and body parts, because byproducts of decomposition generally seep into the ground. That means a scientist can determine how long a body was lying in a particular spot, or whether it was placed somewhere and then moved—and when that occurred. They have more such experiments planned for the future.
The author wrote is article because The 1999 murder trial of 38-year-old Thomas D. Huskey, accused killer of four women. This was the first documented serial killer in Knox County, Tennessee, and prosecutors were seeking the death penalty. The two sides focused not only on the issue of his mental state at the time of the offenses, but also used insect analysis to evaluate the time since death of two of the victims. Prostitutes had dubbed Huskey the "Zoo Man" because he once had worked at the Knoxville Zoo and he liked to take women close by for rough sex. Bass was called in after three of the victims had been discovered in a wooded area. His job was not only to estimate time since death but to determine if the victims had been killed where they lay or if the death scene was in fact elsewhere. He used his knowledge about what happens to bodies in the woods—specifically, the biomarkers in the vegetation and soil--to make the all-important determinations. The Tri-State Crematory scandal in 2002. More than three hundred decaying human bodies sent for cremation had been discovered left out in the open, buried in shallow pits, or crowded into vaults. Countless families were horrified to learn that the "ashes" of their loved ones were not human remains but possibly cardboard or wood ashes, and that the deceased could be among those left in an undignified position. Tri-State's operator, Ray Brent Marsh, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of fraud and abuse of a body. The long process of identifying the remains began, and in many cases relatives filed lawsuits against Marsh and his business. Bill Bass assisted by analyzing the remains and letting people know exactly what they had. The book is filled with the fascinating and educational work of this bone detective, and even includes an introduction penned by Patricia Cornwell. To see photographs of the Body Farm and more information about the book and documentaries, link to www.deathsacre.com.
The Body Farm
By Katherine Ramsland
In her 1994 novel, The Body Farm, Patricia Cornwell introduced readers to a "decay research facility" at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. It's actually called the Anthropology Research Facility, but Cornwell overheard a nickname that cops had adopted, and called it The Body Farm. "On any given day," she writes, "its several wooded acres held dozens of bodies in varying stages of decomposition." Given such a description, one might think this place is imaginary, but it's not. It's quite real, and Cornwell actually visited it. In the narrative, she goes on to describe what it's like to walk through the "bizarre but necessary kingdom." The first thing she mentions is the pervasive foul odor—the "language of the dead"— and then points out the tall wooden fence surrounding the facility, topped with coiled barbed wire. She directs her main character, medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, to glance at bodies in water-filled pits tethered to cinder blocks, and indicates that Scarpetta is aware that other corpses are decomposing in cars parked around the area. A skeleton is at the wheel of a white Cadillac, and a skull grins up at her from among a pile of fallen leaves. At this facility, the dead are silent helpers for the living. In all, on that day, Scarpetta is surrounded by 44 of them. Cornwell describes the experiments that the researchers at The Farm have done to assist Dr. Scarpetta with a murder investigation in which a corpse bore an unidentifiable mark. They have measured the decomposition rate of a body in a basement versus a body in the same condition outdoors. (Cornwell offers a vivid scenario to readers with strong stomachs as to how the changes differ between these decomposing bodies — a couple who committed suicide in quick succession over the husband's fatal illness.)
The researchers have placed several metal items beneath one of the bodies to try to determine what might have made an unusual mark found on the crime victim. They turn over the corpse to examine the impressions and oxidation residue from nails, an iron drain, bottle caps, and coins, and then compare them with photographs from the victim. Impurities from the coins bear the closest resemblance. That observation, along with the photographs taken at both the distant crime scene and the facility, provides a significant lead. Cornwell learned about this place when she was working in the Virginia medical examiner's office. She attended a slide lecture and heard an FBI fingerprint examiner mention "the Body Farm." She later recalled all this after becoming a strikingly successful novelist. Like Scarpetta, she asked the scientists to conduct an experiment for her, and because her questions were of scientific interest, the facility's founder and director obliged. That person was Dr. Bill Bass, and his innovative service to law enforcement can't be found anywhere else in the world. In some ways, it was serendipitous, the result of his diverse experiences, but as one reviews Dr. Bass's extensive career, it's also clear that his pioneering spirit and desire to learn about stages of death inevitably would have yielded something interesting. Forensic anthropology is the application of physical anthropology to the medico-legal process. That is, forensic anthropologists assist law enforcement investigators and medical examiners to identify human skeletal and decomposing remains, generally working in cooperation with pathologists and odontologists to estimate the age, sex, ancestry, stature, and unique bony features of the deceased. Using their specific expertise, they may furnish clues pointing toward foul play. Once he had his M.A. in this subject, Bass applied to several schools for a Ph.D. program, but he wanted only to attend the University of Pennsylvania to study with Dr. Wilton Krogman, known as "the bone detective." To his delight, he was accepted into that program. He worked alongside Krogman on his forensic cases and in February 1957, they were called to examine the remains of a young boy who had been murdered and dumped in the Fox Chase area of Philadelphia. As disturbing as the case was, no one knew that it would become a famous investigation.
As part of the Forensic Anthropology Center at UT-K, this protected, two-and-a-half-acre field dedicated to the study of decomposing human remains is truly unique. "Before our work, no one had ever established a time line," Bass said. "There are a lot of factors that can affect how a body decomposes, but we found that the major two are climate and insects. When a person dies, the body begins to decay immediately and the enzymes in the digestive system begin to eat the tissue. You putrefy, and this gives off a smell. Up until about two and a half weeks, one of the best ways to tell how long a body is dead is to look at the insect activity. The first of the critters to be attracted to a decaying body are the blowflies. They come along and lay their eggs, which hatch into maggots. The maggots then eat the decaying tissue in a fairly predictable way." Measuring and recording this information, along with climatic variables such as temperature and humidity, gave the facility its raison d'être. Since those early days, the place has evolved. Scientists still use a few unclaimed bodies, but mostly accept those that have been donated to science. There's even a waiting list for people who want to designate the Body Farm as their final destination.
As part of the Forensic Anthropology Center at UT-K, this protected, two-and-a-half-acre field dedicated to the study of decomposing human remains is truly unique. Corpses that arrive at the facility have been placed in all kinds of positions and conditions: locked in a car trunk, lying in direct sunlight, hidden under canvas and plastic, buried in mud, hung from a scaffold, closed into coffins, refrigerated in the dark, zipped into body bags, and submerged in water, to name a few. One body may come in headless, another with wounds. Some are even embalmed, and a few are dismembered. Stages of insect infestation on corpses are examined, along with general exposure to the environment and disturbances by small rodents. When there's an ongoing project, the person assigned to it—often a graduate student in anthropology—makes a precise digital record at regular intervals of various aspects of the disintegration process. He or she may also use an electronic nose with numerous sensors to record changes in the odors. These are fed into a gas chromatograph, which separates and analyzes the distinct parts of compound mixtures. One hope is to develop sprays that can be used to train cadaver dogs. Marks and his colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are also isolating specific biochemical markers that will provide precise measurements of the postmortem interval during the first two weeks after death. The researchers analyze soil samples as well as bodies and body parts, because byproducts of decomposition generally seep into the ground. That means a scientist can determine how long a body was lying in a particular spot, or whether it was placed somewhere and then moved—and when that occurred. They have more such experiments planned for the future.
The author wrote is article because The 1999 murder trial of 38-year-old Thomas D. Huskey, accused killer of four women. This was the first documented serial killer in Knox County, Tennessee, and prosecutors were seeking the death penalty. The two sides focused not only on the issue of his mental state at the time of the offenses, but also used insect analysis to evaluate the time since death of two of the victims. Prostitutes had dubbed Huskey the "Zoo Man" because he once had worked at the Knoxville Zoo and he liked to take women close by for rough sex. Bass was called in after three of the victims had been discovered in a wooded area. His job was not only to estimate time since death but to determine if the victims had been killed where they lay or if the death scene was in fact elsewhere. He used his knowledge about what happens to bodies in the woods—specifically, the biomarkers in the vegetation and soil--to make the all-important determinations. The Tri-State Crematory scandal in 2002. More than three hundred decaying human bodies sent for cremation had been discovered left out in the open, buried in shallow pits, or crowded into vaults. Countless families were horrified to learn that the "ashes" of their loved ones were not human remains but possibly cardboard or wood ashes, and that the deceased could be among those left in an undignified position. Tri-State's operator, Ray Brent Marsh, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of fraud and abuse of a body. The long process of identifying the remains began, and in many cases relatives filed lawsuits against Marsh and his business. Bill Bass assisted by analyzing the remains and letting people know exactly what they had. The book is filled with the fascinating and educational work of this bone detective, and even includes an introduction penned by Patricia Cornwell. To see photographs of the Body Farm and more information about the book and documentaries, link to www.deathsacre.com.
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