In 2021, the University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB) helped Kim Cantin come to peace about her missing son, Jack Cantin. The Cantin investigation illustrates forensic anthropology's use in investigations, be they criminal or not, such as recovery operations following a disaster.
Wildfires and heavy rains were the catalyst behind the January 9, 2018 mudslide in Montecito, California. The mudslide swept away the family's Montecito Creek home and other neighborhoods, culminating in 23 fatalities. Mrs. Cantin's husband, Dave, was also among those killed in the mudslide, but first responders recovered his body. Jack's whereabouts were unknown until the UCSB anthropology team recovered his presumptive remains in 2021. The UCSB anthropological team became involved with the case after Mrs. Cantin reached out to the university for assistance in 2020 after the authorities failed to locate and recover his body. Researchers at the Walker Bioarchaeology & Forensic Bone Lab decided to help Mrs. Cantin find closure and took up the case. Much of the team's success in recovering Jack's presumptive body came because the researchers treated the search area like an archaeological excavation site. The area covered 110 acres, and the team identified hot zones, which they designated "hot" by reviewing old archival records, coroner's reports, videos, satellite images of the disaster area, photos, and witness testimony. They interviewed first responders, survivors, residents, and other community members. Outside of interviews, the team engaged in survey work, soil sampling, large-scale excavations, and test-pitting, which involved digging a small area layer-by-layer to uncover past human activity (like evidence of clothing, dishware, or other artifacts). They also relied on the expertise of soil scientists and hydrologists (who study water and its movement) and used specially trained dogs that detected human bone and tissue. After mapping and collecting every artifact (shard of glass, kitchen tile, fabric), the team used various techniques, such as x-ray fluorescence, fluorine absorption analysis, and bone biogeochemistry. Students working on the project constructed a "body farm" using pig carcasses, which helped them understand body decomposition's nature and chemistry in the area. These techniques resulted in critical breakthroughs, including discovering the remains in one of the team's hot zones. Using forensic, osteological (bone study), and archaeometry (use of technology in archaeology) techniques, the researchers approximated the age, sex, stature, and heritage, of the remain recovered, which was absolutely consistent with Jack Cantin's profile. This case represents the wonders anthropological teams can accomplish in helping crime investigators close cases. In academia, anthropology researchers study humans, encompassing the evaluation of physical characteristics, behavior, history, social traditions, and culture. However, when combined with forensics, anthropology provides investigators insight into how humans live. Forensic anthropologists have become very useful in helping investigators solve crimes and provide closure to families during natural disasters because they focus on analyzing human remains, namely bones. The analysis involves looking at the badly decomposed body, including the skeleton, for legal and humanitarian reasons. While not the case with the Cantin discovery, forensic anthropologists sometimes must treat entire areas as a potential crime scene. The Cantin case illustrates how forensic anthropologists work to uncover the person's age, sex, physical features, and the trauma inflicted upon their bodies simply by analyzing the state of the individual's bones. Furthermore, these types of discoveries in forensic anthropology can supplement investigations that previously relied on DNA and fingerprint evidence to conclude cases, when such information is not available. Ultimately, forensic anthropology allows for a more comprehensive examination of a case. More importantly, as with Mrs. Cantin and recovering her son's body, the discoveries made as a part of the forensic anthropological investigation give families closure. In other cases, if perpetrators are involved and a crime has been committed, forensic anthropology is one step in the larger criminal justice process which aims to bring justice to suffering victims.
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AuthorDanielle Kurin - Award-Winning Educator and Researcher. Archives
June 2023
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